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Dr Victor Romero Cano
(he/him)
Lecturer
School of Computer Science and Informatics
- Available for postgraduate supervision
Overview
I am a Lecturer in the School of Computer Science and Informatics, within the Human-centred computing research unit. My research focuses on developing robot perception and machine learning technologies aimed at making autonomous systems ubiquitous and useful in diverse real-life settings.
[Nov 2024] I have been appointed as an Associate Editor at IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L)
[Oct 2024] I co-organised the Standing the Test of Time Workshop @IROS2024
Publication
2024
- Alcala, E. and Romero Cano, V. 2024. On the human-machine gap in car racing: A comparative analysis of machine performance against human drivers. IEEE Access 12, pp. 168755-168764. (10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3497719)
- Ferro-Sánchez, C. A., Díaz-Laverde, C. O., Romero Cano, V., Campo, O. and González-Vargas, A. M. 2024. Machine learning for the classification of surgical patients in orthodontics. Presented at: IX Latin American Congress on Biomedical Engineering and XXVIII Brazilian Congress on Biomedical Engineering, Florianópolis, Brazil, 24-28 October 2022IX Latin American Congress on Biomedical Engineering and XXVIII Brazilian Congress on Biomedical Engineering. CLAIB CBEB 2022 2022. IFMBE Proceedings, vol 99, Vol. 99. Cham: Springer pp. 207-217., (10.1007/978-3-031-49404-8_21)
- Mosquera Maturana, J. S., Hernández, J. D. and Romero Cano, V. 2024. Sampling-based motion planning for guide robots considering user pose uncertainty. Presented at: 25th Towards Autonomous Robotic Systems (TAROS) Conference, London, UK, 21-23 August 2024.
2023
- Romero Cano, V., Vignard, N. and Laugier, C. 2023. Electronic device, system and method for augmenting image data of a passive optical sensor. US11774554B2 [Patent].
- Rivero-Ortega, J. D., Mosquera-Maturana, J. S., Pardo-Cabrera, J., Hurtado-López, J., Hernández, J. D., Romero-Cano, V. and Ramírez-Moreno, D. F. 2023. Ring attractor bio-inspired neural network for social robot navigation. Frontiers in Neurorobotics 17, article number: 1211570. (10.3389/fnbot.2023.1211570)
- Obando-Ceron, J. S., Romero Cano, V. and Monteiro, S. 2023. Probabilistic multi-modal depth estimation based on camera–LiDAR sensor fusion. Machine Vision and Applications 34(5), article number: 79. (10.1007/s00138-023-01426-x)
2022
- Gomez-Ayalde, D. and Romero Cano, V. A. 2022. Local planning methods for autonomous navigation on sidewalks: a comparative survey. Presented at: ColCACI 2022: Colombian Conference on Applications of Computational Intelligence, 27-29 July 20222022 IEEE Colombian Conference on Applications of Computational Intelligence (ColCACI). IEEE pp. 1-6., (10.1109/ColCACI56938.2022.9905339)
- Sierra Gonzalez, D., Vignard, N., Laugier, C., Dibangoye, J. and Romero Cano, V. 2022. Driving assistance method and system. US11364899B2 [Patent].
- Saavedra-Ruiz, M., Pinto-Vargas, A. M. and Romero Cano, V. 2022. Monocular visual autonomous landing system for quadcopter drones using software in the loop. IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Magazine 37(5), pp. 2-16. (10.1109/MAES.2021.3115208)
- Tamayo-Monsalve, M. A. et al. 2022. Coffee maturity classification using convolutional neural networks and transfer learning. IEEE Access 10, pp. 42971-42982. (10.1109/ACCESS.2022.3166515)
2021
- Salazar, G., Saavedra, M. and Romero Cano, V. 2021. High-level camera-LiDAR fusion for 3D object detection with machine learning. [Online]. ArXiv: Cornell University. (10.48550/arXiv.2105.11060) Available at: https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2105.11060
2020
- Mercado Rivera, F. J., Rojas Arciniegas, A. J. and Romero Cano, V. A. 2020. Probabilistic motion inference for fused filament fabrication. NIP & Digital Fabrication Conference 36(1), pp. 85-91., article number: art00016_1. (10.2352/issn.2169-4451.2020.36.85)
2019
- Erkent, O., Wolf, C., Laugier, C., Gonzalez, D. S. and Romero Cano, V. 2019. Semantic grid estimation with a hybrid Bayesian and deep neural network approach. Presented at: 2018 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), Madrid, Spain, 1-5 October 2018IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS). IEEE, (10.1109/IROS.2018.8593434)
2018
- Gonzalez, D. S., Erkent, O., Romero Cano, V., Dibangoye, J. and Laugier, C. 2018. Modeling driver behavior from demonstrations in dynamic environments using spatiotemporal lattices. Presented at: 2018 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), Brisbane, Australia, 21-25 May 2018IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA). IEEE, (10.1109/ICRA.2018.8460208)
2017
- Romero Cano, V., Vignard, N. and Laugier, C. 2017. XDvision: Dense outdoor perception for autonomous vehicles. Presented at: 28th IEEE Intelligent Vehicles Symposium, 11-14 June 20172017 IEEE Intelligent Vehicles Symposium (IV). IEEE pp. 752-757., (10.1109/IVS.2017.7995807)
2015
- Romero-Cano, V., Agamennoni, G. and Nieto, J. 2015. A variational approach to simultaneous multi-object tracking and classification. International Journal of Robotics Research 35(6), pp. 654-671. (10.1177/0278364915583881)
- Romero Cano, V. 2015. Simultaneous multi-object tracking and classification via approximate variational inference. PhD Thesis, The University of Sydney.
2014
- Romero Cano, V., Agamennoni, G. and Nieto, J. 2014. A variational approach to simultaneous tracking and classification of multiple objects. Presented at: 17th International Conference on Information Fusion, Salamanca, 7-10th July 201417th International Conference on Information Fusion (FUSION). IEEE pp. 1-8.
2011
- Romero Cano, V. and Costa, O. 2011. Map merging strategies for multi-robot FastSLAM: a comparative survey. Presented at: 2010 Latin American Robotics Symposium and Intelligent Robotics Meeting, Sao Bernardo do Campo, Brazil, 23-28 October 2010Proceedings 2010 Latin American Robotics Symposium and Intelligent Robotics Meeting. IEEE pp. 61-66., (10.1109/lars.2010.20)
Articles
- Alcala, E. and Romero Cano, V. 2024. On the human-machine gap in car racing: A comparative analysis of machine performance against human drivers. IEEE Access 12, pp. 168755-168764. (10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3497719)
- Rivero-Ortega, J. D., Mosquera-Maturana, J. S., Pardo-Cabrera, J., Hurtado-López, J., Hernández, J. D., Romero-Cano, V. and Ramírez-Moreno, D. F. 2023. Ring attractor bio-inspired neural network for social robot navigation. Frontiers in Neurorobotics 17, article number: 1211570. (10.3389/fnbot.2023.1211570)
- Obando-Ceron, J. S., Romero Cano, V. and Monteiro, S. 2023. Probabilistic multi-modal depth estimation based on camera–LiDAR sensor fusion. Machine Vision and Applications 34(5), article number: 79. (10.1007/s00138-023-01426-x)
- Saavedra-Ruiz, M., Pinto-Vargas, A. M. and Romero Cano, V. 2022. Monocular visual autonomous landing system for quadcopter drones using software in the loop. IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Magazine 37(5), pp. 2-16. (10.1109/MAES.2021.3115208)
- Tamayo-Monsalve, M. A. et al. 2022. Coffee maturity classification using convolutional neural networks and transfer learning. IEEE Access 10, pp. 42971-42982. (10.1109/ACCESS.2022.3166515)
- Mercado Rivera, F. J., Rojas Arciniegas, A. J. and Romero Cano, V. A. 2020. Probabilistic motion inference for fused filament fabrication. NIP & Digital Fabrication Conference 36(1), pp. 85-91., article number: art00016_1. (10.2352/issn.2169-4451.2020.36.85)
- Romero-Cano, V., Agamennoni, G. and Nieto, J. 2015. A variational approach to simultaneous multi-object tracking and classification. International Journal of Robotics Research 35(6), pp. 654-671. (10.1177/0278364915583881)
Conferences
- Ferro-Sánchez, C. A., Díaz-Laverde, C. O., Romero Cano, V., Campo, O. and González-Vargas, A. M. 2024. Machine learning for the classification of surgical patients in orthodontics. Presented at: IX Latin American Congress on Biomedical Engineering and XXVIII Brazilian Congress on Biomedical Engineering, Florianópolis, Brazil, 24-28 October 2022IX Latin American Congress on Biomedical Engineering and XXVIII Brazilian Congress on Biomedical Engineering. CLAIB CBEB 2022 2022. IFMBE Proceedings, vol 99, Vol. 99. Cham: Springer pp. 207-217., (10.1007/978-3-031-49404-8_21)
- Mosquera Maturana, J. S., Hernández, J. D. and Romero Cano, V. 2024. Sampling-based motion planning for guide robots considering user pose uncertainty. Presented at: 25th Towards Autonomous Robotic Systems (TAROS) Conference, London, UK, 21-23 August 2024.
- Gomez-Ayalde, D. and Romero Cano, V. A. 2022. Local planning methods for autonomous navigation on sidewalks: a comparative survey. Presented at: ColCACI 2022: Colombian Conference on Applications of Computational Intelligence, 27-29 July 20222022 IEEE Colombian Conference on Applications of Computational Intelligence (ColCACI). IEEE pp. 1-6., (10.1109/ColCACI56938.2022.9905339)
- Erkent, O., Wolf, C., Laugier, C., Gonzalez, D. S. and Romero Cano, V. 2019. Semantic grid estimation with a hybrid Bayesian and deep neural network approach. Presented at: 2018 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), Madrid, Spain, 1-5 October 2018IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS). IEEE, (10.1109/IROS.2018.8593434)
- Gonzalez, D. S., Erkent, O., Romero Cano, V., Dibangoye, J. and Laugier, C. 2018. Modeling driver behavior from demonstrations in dynamic environments using spatiotemporal lattices. Presented at: 2018 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), Brisbane, Australia, 21-25 May 2018IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA). IEEE, (10.1109/ICRA.2018.8460208)
- Romero Cano, V., Vignard, N. and Laugier, C. 2017. XDvision: Dense outdoor perception for autonomous vehicles. Presented at: 28th IEEE Intelligent Vehicles Symposium, 11-14 June 20172017 IEEE Intelligent Vehicles Symposium (IV). IEEE pp. 752-757., (10.1109/IVS.2017.7995807)
- Romero Cano, V., Agamennoni, G. and Nieto, J. 2014. A variational approach to simultaneous tracking and classification of multiple objects. Presented at: 17th International Conference on Information Fusion, Salamanca, 7-10th July 201417th International Conference on Information Fusion (FUSION). IEEE pp. 1-8.
- Romero Cano, V. and Costa, O. 2011. Map merging strategies for multi-robot FastSLAM: a comparative survey. Presented at: 2010 Latin American Robotics Symposium and Intelligent Robotics Meeting, Sao Bernardo do Campo, Brazil, 23-28 October 2010Proceedings 2010 Latin American Robotics Symposium and Intelligent Robotics Meeting. IEEE pp. 61-66., (10.1109/lars.2010.20)
Patents
- Romero Cano, V., Vignard, N. and Laugier, C. 2023. Electronic device, system and method for augmenting image data of a passive optical sensor. US11774554B2 [Patent].
- Sierra Gonzalez, D., Vignard, N., Laugier, C., Dibangoye, J. and Romero Cano, V. 2022. Driving assistance method and system. US11364899B2 [Patent].
Thesis
- Romero Cano, V. 2015. Simultaneous multi-object tracking and classification via approximate variational inference. PhD Thesis, The University of Sydney.
Websites
- Salazar, G., Saavedra, M. and Romero Cano, V. 2021. High-level camera-LiDAR fusion for 3D object detection with machine learning. [Online]. ArXiv: Cornell University. (10.48550/arXiv.2105.11060) Available at: https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2105.11060
Biography
Born in Palmira, Colombia, I have worked in robotics and Machine Learning (ML) for over a decade. I studied mechatronics engineering at Universidad Autónoma de Occidente (UAO) in Cali Colombia. In 2008, I moved to Brazil, where I pursued an MSc in electrical engineering with a focus on systems engineering at the Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo. For my master's dissertation, and under the supervision of Oswaldo Luiz do Valle Costa, I developed algorithms for creating digital representations of tree-populated environments from 2D-laser data collected by a team of mobile robots. In 2011, I moved to Australia and joined the Australian Centre for Robotics and Rio Tinto Centre for Mine Automation (RTCMA) at the University of Sydney, where I pursued my doctoral studies thanks to a scholarship provided by the mining giant Rio Tinto. During my Ph.D. and under the supervision of Juan I Nieto and Gabriel Agamennoni, I developed technologies for detecting, tracking, and classifying objects in complex dynamic environments by exploiting the multi-modal nature of stereo-vision data.
In 2015, after completing my PhD, I continued my association with RTCMA to develop Geographical Information System (GIS) and ML techniques for automatic analysis and pattern discovery in the operating and traffic state of Rio Tinto’s mines. In 2016, I moved to France to work as a post-doctoral researcher, within the Cooperative and Human-aware Robot Navigation in Dynamic Environments (CHROMA) team on a joint project between Toyota Motor Europe and Inria Grenoble, under the supervision of Christian Laugier. My contributions aimed at developing Camera-LiDAR object recognition technologies for urban driving applications. I worked on fusing image and laser data for improved object recognition in the context of urban perception from mobile platforms, leveraging the team’s occupancy grid mapping work, along with PGM’s and Deep Learning methods. I also collaborated with the team on decision-making-oriented projects.
In 2017 I joined the Faculty of Engineering of Universidad Autónoma de Occidente (UAO), Colombia, as a robotics and machine learning professor. I faced the challenges of building a robotics laboratory from the ground up, and designing up-to-date robotics and robotic perception modules that allowed engineering students to develop a career path with an emphasis on the computational aspects of robotics. As a result, during my five years at UAO, I led the establishment of the university's Robotics and Autonomous Systems laboratory. In 2019, thanks to the Republic of Turkey’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, I spent one month in Izmir, Turkey as an Invited Scientist at the Olive Research Institute working on plant phenotyping using computer vision. In 2022 and 2023, I worked in the Autonomous Driving R&D Department at Rimac Technology, a Croatia-based company that designs, engineers, and produces high-performance electric vehicle components and systems. In my role as an AI/Perception manager, I led a team working on embedded machine learning and multi-sensor perception techniques for both environment and driver monitoring. I also collaborated closely with motion control and human factors researchers. I have been a Lecturer in the School of Computer Science and Informatics, within the Human-centred computing research unit, since February 2024.
Professional memberships
I am a member of the IEEE and its Robotics and Automation Society.
Committees and reviewing
- I have served as an associate editor for IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) in 2021, 2022 and 2024.
- I have served as a reviewer for IROS, IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), IEEE
Intelligent Vehicles Symposium (IV), IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITSC), IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RAL), MDPI Sensors and Springer International Journal of Social Robotics (IJSR).
Supervisions
I am interested in supervising PhD students in the areas of:
- Robot perception and decision making
- End-to-end learning for robotic and autonomous systems
- Coupled motion prediction and robot planning.
- Multi-sensor fusion for robotics and remote sensing applications
- Field and agricultural robotics
- Ethical and social implications of robotics
- Autonomous driving
Contact Details
Research themes
Specialisms
- Robotics
- Artificial intelligence