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About

Christopher Assad is a robotics and autonomous systems researcher at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), whose work spans human-robot interaction, autonomous vehicle perception, and biologically inspired control systems. He is perhaps best known for pioneering the JPL BioSleeve, a wearable forearm device that combines surface electromyography (EMG) sensors with an inertial measurement unit to enable natural, gesture-based robot control. This innovative interface — documented across multiple highly cited publications accumulating over 200 citations — decodes both static and dynamic arm and hand gestures, offering a compelling solution for variable-autonomy robot operation in complex field environments. Beyond human-robot interfaces, Assad has made significant contributions to autonomous vehicle perception, including 360-degree visual detection and target tracking for autonomous surface vessels (64 citations) and thermal infrared-based navigation for unmanned ground vehicles operating day or night (52 citations). His earlier work explored cerebellar-inspired neural networks for predictive robotic arm control, reflecting a sustained interest in biologically motivated approaches to machine intelligence. His research portfolio also extends to space exploration concepts, including aerobot mission planning for Saturn's moon Titan. Across these diverse domains, Assad exemplifies the kind of cross-disciplinary engineering innovation that defines cutting-edge robotics research at JPL.