Multi-agent systems, robotics and machine learning

Publications

Riwa Karam · PhD Candidate at the University of California, Irvine

Publications & Presentations

Ideas on paper.
Conversations beyond it.

Explore papers on collaboration, learning, and human–swarm interaction, alongside the talks and posters that share those ideas.

Read & explore

Papers & thesis

From shared resources to sketch-guided swarms.

Showing 5 of 5

2026
Human–swarm interaction
PreprintSubmitted

Freehand Sketching for End-User Programming of Robot Swarms

R. Karam, I. Kuo, M. Egerstedt

arXiv preprint

Turning freehand drawings into robot swarm formations, with a user study exploring how accessible the interface is to non-experts.

PDFDOIExperiments Video
2026
Learning & resource sharing
PreprintUnder Review in IEEE T-RO

Learning Altruistic Collaboration in Heterogeneous Multi-Team Systems

R. Karam, R. Lin, B. A. Butler, M. Egerstedt

arXiv preprint

Combining Hamilton’s rule with graph neural networks to decide when heterogeneous teams should share robots.

PDFDOIExperiments Video
2026
A taxonomy of collaboration
PreprintUnder Review in IEEE CSM

Collaboration in Multi-Robot Systems: Taxonomy and Survey of Frameworks for Collaboration

R. Karam, A. A. Nguyen, R. Lin, D. R. Martin, D. Morales, B. A. Butler, M. Egerstedt

arXiv preprint

Distinguishing cooperation, coordination, and collaboration, and bringing together the frameworks that support them.

PDFDOI
2025
Ecology-inspired collaboration
Conference PaperPublished in IEEE CDC 2025

Resource Allocation for Multi-Team Collaboration Based on Hamilton's Rule

R. Karam, R. Lin, B. A. Butler, M. Egerstedt

IEEE 64th Conference on Decision and Control, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2025, pp. 6891-6898

Using the costs and benefits of robot transfers to guide resource allocation across teams with different missions.

PDFDOI
2025
Drawing to formation
Thesis

A Graphical Interface for Specifying and Establishing Multi-Robot Formations

R. Karam

M.S. Thesis, University of California, Irvine, 2025

Connecting a graphical interface, computer vision, and formation control to turn user-defined shapes into multi-robot formations.

PDFOfficial Record

Present & connect

Talks & posters

Slides, recordings, and posters from conferences, invited talks, and academic milestones.

2026

PhD Requirement

Collaboration in Multi-Agent Systems: From Assignment to Learning

PhD Qualifying Examination

University of California, Irvine

Slides

2025