Astrobotic is building the space robotics technology of tomorrow: https://www.astrobotic.com/technologySome of our technologies and products include: • Terrain Relative Navigation (TRN) and Hazard Detection sensor systems for safe and precise lunar landing featuring FPGA accelerated algorithms, low-SWaP high-performance space-grade compute, and extensive simulation and analysis tools. • Real-time physics-based ray tracing for simulation and hardware-in-the-loop testing or precision landing, hazard detection, and rendezvous, proximity operations and docking (RPOD). • Space Situational Awareness (SSA) sensor and in-space processing for unresolved imaging of resident space objects. • AstroNav - Robust, high rate, multi-modal SLAM for GPS-denied navigation and modeling: https://microsoft.com/en-us/research/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Astronav_Kitchell.pdf • Astrobotic's Software Defined Reliability (A-SDR) solution for high performance, real-time, mission-critical computing in space and on Earth. • CubeRover - A new standard for low-cost planetary science and exploration: http://asme.org/engineering-topics/articles/robotics/fourpound-robots-rove-in-space

• Wrote and won NSF research proposal (Grant IIS-1065489, $1.1 million)• Designed and constructed new 3D printed soft, modular, worm-like robot and implemented novel neural-inspired dynamical control scheme for segment coordination on microcontroller• Created new algorithms and open source C/C++ and MATLAB tools for stochastic neural controllers• Led and mentored interdisciplinary team of 10+ graduate and undergraduate researchers• 8 papers (3 journal articles), provisional patent, 3 MATLAB toolboxes, media appearances

• Created dynamical models of insect brains and sensory systems for AFRL Ph.D. fellowship• Developed computational neuroscience approaches for sensor fusion of noisy time-varying input• Simulated multi-sensory spatio-temporal decision making using topographic brain maps

• Created library of autonomous driving behaviors (e.g., vehicle following, lane changing, merging) in LabVIEW for our successful self-driving car, DEXTER• Implemented real time, quasi-optimal trajectory planning and collision avoidance algorithms• Developed custom mapping application for competition in JavaScript and Java• Directed group of graduate and undergraduate students to test driving behaviors and refine mapping• Led writing of technical reports and presentations and handled media and public communications

• Initiated collaboration to design and fabricate an autonomous wheel-legged robot (with Prof. Barbara Webb, University of Stirling, UK)• Integrated neural model of cricket sound localization and tracking on robot for outdoor evaluation• Invented and built Mini-Whegs, a series of small, highly-mobile, energetic, inexpensive robots• Managed students (3 graduate, 10+ undergraduate) to develop Mini-Whegs that jump, fly, and climb surfaces with novel gecko-inspired tape• 7 Mini-Whegs papers (2 journal articles), patent (#7,249,640), numerous media appearances• Collaborative work in Scotland resulted in 4 papers (2 journal articles) and a “Best Paper Award”

Simulation and flexible body dynamics modeling research on the feasibility of tethered spacecraft formation flying for the Terrestrial Planet Finder mission.

Studied numerical integration issues surrounding simulation and modeling of high precision formation flying of orbiting spacecraft for space-based interferometry.

Awarded fellowship by the American Society of the French Legion of Honor. Signal processing and analysis research, system identification, wavelet transform research, and coauthored two papers.