Prabhu Ram Raghunathan (aka “RPR”)

Who am I?

I am, or have been, or at least attempted to be each of these things: Researcher, Research Engineer, Software Developer, Roboticist, Technology Developer / Entrepreneur and Writer/Historian. More professionally, I work in Distributed and Real Time AI, Robotics and the offbeat subject described below.

What do I do at CMU?

I currently work on the RADAR project at the School of Computer Science. RADAR tries to develop personal cognitive assistants... i.e it tries to get your secretary fired. Under the aegis of RADAR, I work with the task management group. Someday we'll figure out how to 'learn' tasks and macrotasks for these agents. This job has exiled me from CMU's main campus. Previously,I used to work for the good Prof. Brian MacWhinney, on the TalkBank project. I mainly developed complex web systems in Java for him. How I miss those great days!

What do I do when not at CMU?

• Trying to get back to CMU campus so that I can catch up on work.
• I spend a good bit of time volunteering toward worthy causes. One of the recent ones was : www.svtemple.org
• I research using Multilingual algorithms I have developed, in Ancient Hindu Scripture, particularly the Rg Veda. I have written a bunch of Sanskrit processing tools that can be downloaded free from my company website below. I use these algorithms mainly to reinterpret and retranslate our works in a multi-volume series, which I hope will be done in the next few years. The purpose is to contribute an accurate chronology from the information within the texts. My most recent book, a translation of a 700 year old hymn, written semi-automatically, using my software, was featured in an interview in The Hindu, India's paper of record.

My coordinates:

407 SCRG-115

CMU, 5000 Forbes Ave,

Pittsburgh, PA.

Email: zorro@cmu.edu

Research:

I am one of those few who focus on an engineering approach to research: innovation must breed a working, production quality system; applied research if you will. I work in Distributed AI and Robotics /Multi agent systems, Ontological systems and some specific AI applications. Needing to deliver AI apps real time, makes me work in Networking and Security issues as well. I have built or contributed to several robotic systems and like to boast, with or without full justification, that I came up with a few totally new techonlogies.

I attempt to deliver spanking new tech from academia to industry, so that they can become a financial and utilitarian reality. Toward that end, I have been involved with five start-ups of varying sizes so far. Given the dynamic environments these offer, I do not really see myself in a big business environment again.

Before coming to CMU, I did time at the Cornell penitentiary in upstate NY. I also attended K-State U. and Pondicherry Engineering College. I dare not say that I studied there though they gave me degrees.  Past projects have been for Fermi National Labs, SAP Labs, Ibes Inc. etc. Additionally, for the last 8 years, I have been involved with startup(s) of some form.  Makes you feel like a prospector after some point.

FSL:

Sometime back, I started a company in India: FS Labs Pvt. Ltd. Its primary focus is specialty research and consultation but it mainly provides a rostrum for my scriptural researches and multilingual tools. If you would like to contribute your mite toward developing Sanskrit analyzing and document generation/maintenance tools in Java, which shall eventually be offered “free” (free as in fsf, gpl) drop me a line.