{"id":5199,"date":"2026-05-13T15:02:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T19:02:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oge.mit.edu\/msrp\/?post_type=profiles&#038;p=5199"},"modified":"2026-08-12T07:47:42","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T11:47:42","slug":"dandre-washington","status":"publish","type":"profiles","link":"https:\/\/oge.mit.edu\/msrp\/profiles\/dandre-washington\/","title":{"rendered":"D&#8217;Andre Washington"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"599\" src=\"https:\/\/oge.mit.edu\/msrp\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/Washington-DAndre.jpg\" alt=\"by Corban Swain\" class=\"wp-image-5651\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1;object-fit:cover;width:200px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/oge.mit.edu\/msrp\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/Washington-DAndre.jpg 400w, https:\/\/oge.mit.edu\/msrp\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/Washington-DAndre-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Claflin University<\/strong><br>Faculty Advisor: Prof. Danielle Wood<br>Research Supervisor: Alissa Chavalithumrong<br>Department: Electrical Engineering and Computer Science<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:0px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Biography<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">D\u2019Andre Washington is an undergraduate pursuing his BS in Computer Engineering at<br>Claflin University\u2019s School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. Hailing from the historical<br>city of Charleston, South Carolina. He works in the Space Enabled lab under Professor Daniell<br>Wood at MIT, where his research focuses on human-robot interactions in space. He is a<br>problem-solving thinker who possesses a growth mindset and is deeply interested in exploring<br>the frontiers of knowledge. Their strength lies in diving beneath the surface to ask probing<br>questions to solve the right problems. Consuming fantasy themes in media is what sparked<br>his passion for computer engineering. D\u2019Andre has many interests, including technology,<br>biology, and psychology. He would like to explore the intersection of these areas by leveraging<br>technology to create solutions and solve problems in those fields. After undergrad, he will<br>attend graduate school to obtain his master&#8217;s and or PhD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><br><strong>Human-Robot Interaction with Robots in Microgravity<br>D\u2019Andre Washington1, Alissa Chavalithumrong2, Dr. Scott Dorrington2, and<br>Dr. Danielle Wood2<\/strong><br>1Department of Mathematical and Computer Science, Claflin University<br>2Program of Media Arts and Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology\\<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><br>Robots are being utilized in space applications for various purposes, including conducting<br>research, capturing images, and maintaining spacecraft. The use of robots in space is shifting<br>towards collaborative-work alongside humans. Advancing human-robot collaboration in space<br>requires interfaces that improve task efficiency and reduce mental workload, which prior<br>studies show enhances trust and interaction quality. This research explores hand gestures and<br>visual interfaces as communication methods for human-robot interaction (HRI). On the human<br>side, the goal is to determine which hand gestures users find most intuitive, based on user data.<br>From the robotic side, lighted signals and screen displays are used to communicate intent.<br>This study uses Astrobee, NASA&#8217;s free-flying autonomous robot aboard the International<br>Space Station, as a candidate HRI platform, along with analogous platforms like drones. To<br>evaluate the effectiveness of visual communication, mock images and icons were designed for<br>Astrobee, and animations were evaluated to determine which convey the most meaning and<br>align with human interaction design principles. The goal is to identify hand gestures that are<br>most effective for controlling a robot in space, and also to identify animations that convey clear<br>meaning to users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":5407,"template":"","profile_category":[25],"class_list":["post-5199","profiles","type-profiles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","profile_category-2026-interns"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/oge.mit.edu\/msrp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/profiles\/5199","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/oge.mit.edu\/msrp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/profiles"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/oge.mit.edu\/msrp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/profiles"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/oge.mit.edu\/msrp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/profiles\/5199\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5773,"href":"https:\/\/oge.mit.edu\/msrp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/profiles\/5199\/revisions\/5773"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oge.mit.edu\/msrp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/oge.mit.edu\/msrp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5199"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"profile_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oge.mit.edu\/msrp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/profile_category?post=5199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}