()NI l r i r II \IN ' I I 1 1141 III
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Thursday, January 16,2014
michigandaily.com
_ , _ -
ADMINISTRATION
Regents to
meet with
leaders in
New York
Engineering graduate student Brian Buss demonstrates how to use the walking robot on North Campus Monday. The robot is aided by a balancing poll to keep it
from felling over,
After two years, ipeda
ob kd
Researchers create
MARLO to develop
understanding of
leg locomotion
By ARIANA ASSAF
Daily StaffReporter
Mythical creatures have a
tendency to sparkle in sunlight,
but a walking robot that exists
on the University's campus was
working on something far more
impressive when it ventured out
into the open air.
MARLO, a bipedal robot, is
helping researchers develop the
science of leg locomotion for
machines. Essentially, the goal of
working with MARLO is to get
robots to walk just as well as, if
not better than, humans.
MARLO was designed and
built by Jonathan Hurst, assis-
tant engineering professor at
Oregon State University, using
funding provided by the Defense
Advanced Research Project
Agency, a program funded bythe
Department of Defense. MARLO
is one of three robots created
using Hurst's ATRIAS principle,
or "assume the robot is a sphere."
The other two robots are housed
at Oregon State University and
Carnegie Melon University.
For the past two years, Engi-
neering Prof. Jessy Grizzle has
led a team of University scientists
on a quest to program MARLO
in the best, most stable way pos-
sible. He said in the future, these
robots could be used to assist in
situations that might threaten
human life.
Grizzle said robots like
MARLO could play a critical
role in recovering from natural
disasters like the tsunami that
hit Japan in 2011. The tsunami
struck the Fukushima nuclear
power plant and caused enor-
mous damage and subsequent
radiation leaks that proved too
dangerous for humans to try to
fix.
"We want machines to go into
situations that are too dangerous
for humans, or more dangerous
than we'd want to be sending
See ROBOTS, Page SA
Diversity, healthcare
and fundraising
on the agenda for
unofficial meetings
By SAM GRINGLAS, CLAIRE
BRYAN & YARDAIN AMRON
Daily News Editor
& Daily Staff Reporters
Jay Z must have gotten it right.
In place of their monthly pub-
lic meeting, the University's
Board of Regents will spend Jan.
16 and 17 in New York City glean-
ing some Empire State inspira-
tion from a handful of the East
Coast's most prominent higher
education leaders. Between
meetings, the regents will also
court the region's vast network of
alumni and donors at two events
planned by the University's Office
of Development.
Following their Jan. 2013 trip
to California, the University's
delegation plans to confront an
array of issues, including digital
education, diversity on campus
and college affordability.
Like Los Angeles, New York
City has one of the largest popu-
lations of University alumni and
around 2,000 Universitystudents
call the state home.
In an e-mail, Regent Andrea
Fischer Newman (R), chair of the
Board of Regents, said although a
similar fact-finding trip had not
occurred for more than a decade,
the regents found that last year's
trip included "the best sessions
ever in their many years of ser-
vice on the board."
Newman said the trip is
intended to provide the regents
and the University's top officers
with an opportunity to discuss
pressing issues in higher educa-
tion and chart the instiution's
course into the future.
"Taking time to do a little blue-
sky thinking and asking ourselves
'what if' questions is really impor-
tant and very valuable," Newman
wrote. "It is especially pertinent
this year as we search for the next
president of the University."
See REGENTS, Page 3A
HOSPITAL
Local counties
report multiple
deaths by flu
SPOTLIGHT
Dozens in intensive
care at UMHS as
HiNi influenza
outbreak spreads
By PAULA FRIEDRICH
Daily Staff Reporter
Forty patients are currently
being treated at the University
Hospital for influenza, and over
a dozen of those are in intensive
care.
In Washtenaw County, two
adult patients - one of whom was
treated at University Hospital -
have died from the flu. Oakland
County has suffered three patient
deaths, all of whom were in their
20s, The Detroit News reported
Tuesday.
Statewide, six adult deaths and
one pediatric death have been
reported.
While the state only official-
ly tracks pediatric flu-related
deaths, counties may choose to
report adult deaths at their own
discretion.
In response to the uptick in
influenza cases, the University
of Michigan Health System has
put a visitor restriction policy in
place. This measure means any-
body coming to visit a patient in
the hospital is asked to stayhome
if they have flu symptoms, and
children under the age of 12 may
not visit any patient who is hospi-
talized with the flu.
Most of UMHS influenza
patients have contracted H1N1,
though UMHS spokeswoman
Kara Gavin said the hospital has
only tested for specific strains in
certain cases.
The H1N1 strain of influenza is
most commonly associated with
the 2009 pandemic. At that time,
there was no vaccine and the dis-
ease killed over 470 individuals in
the U.S. alone. However, research
since the outbreak lead to the
creation of the vaccine currently
being offered.
Eden Wells, a clinical associate
professor at the School of Public
Health, said it's hard to predict
how this flu season will continue,
but that the public health com-
See FLU, Page 3A
Architecture junior Mary Milford begins drawing out plans foran assignment in the Art and Architecture building
among her peers in an open studio format.
ANN ARBOR
City infrastructure mostly
unhfarmed by severe cold
CAMPUS LIFE
Lecturer
examines
conflicts in
Caucasus
Speaker offers
view of lingering
issues in post-
Soviet Armenia
By CARLY FROMM
Daily StaffReporter
The Armenian Studies Pro-
gram is continuing to foster dis-
cussion around the history and
current events of the Caucasus
Mountains in Eastern Europe.
On Wednesday, a University
post-doctorate fellow held a lec-
ture called "Drawing Borders, or
Creating Conflicts in the Cauca-
sus?" at the International Insti-
tute.
The ASP and Center for Rus-
sian and East European Stud-
ies hosted University lecturer
Arsene Saparov to present his
research on the region. More
than two dozen people attended
the lecture.
Armenia is a mountainous
nation of three million located
See CAUCASUS, Page 3A
Spokesman says
weather response
plans worked well
By MATT JACKONEN
Daily StaffReporter
After nearly a week of tem-
peratures hovering around
zero degrees, the city of Ann
Arbor is recovering.
However, the city is more
equipped to handle the frigid
temperatures and above aver-
age snowfalls than it might
have seemed during the wintry
trip back to Ann Arbor after
break.
Robert Kellar, the city's
communications specialist for
public services, said that the
damages done to the roads and
property were minor, and the
extended below-freezing tem-
peratures were not that out of
the ordinary for this time of
year.
"This is not totally unusu-
al for this area," Kellar said.
"There is the normal wear and
tear onthe roads because plow-
ing is not a frictionless process,
and you have the occasional
mailbox that is a victim."
Keller added that the
extreme weather may cause
a few more water line breaks
than usual.
However, the lack of dam-
See COLD, Page 3A
The architecture b-side
An in-depth look at the
Taubman College of
Architecture.
t r :t! INSIDE
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