David Sanders

About

David Sanders is a prolific researcher whose work spans robotics, artificial intelligence, and human-machine interaction, with particular emphasis on tele-operated mobile robots and intelligent automation systems. His most influential contributions investigate how sensor systems, expert systems, and AI tools can enhance human operators' ability to control mobile robots in complex, real-world environments. Sanders has systematically examined critical variables affecting tele-operation performance — including time delays, sensor integration, and operator interaction modes — demonstrating through rigorous experimentation how assistive technologies can dramatically reduce failure rates and improve task completion speeds. His 2009 study on progressive path difficulty (50 citations) and his parallel investigations into rescue and maintenance scenarios (40 citations) established foundational benchmarks in human-robot interaction research. Beyond tele-operation, Sanders has made notable contributions to industrial automation, proposing intelligent robotic welding systems using image processing and CAD integration, and authoring a widely-cited review of seven AI tools applicable to assembly automation (43 citations). His earlier work on neural network-based terrain prediction for legged robots and innovative robot command libraries further demonstrates a career-long commitment to advancing autonomous and semi-autonomous robotic systems. Collectively, his papers have accumulated nearly 400 citations, reflecting sustained and meaningful impact across the robotics research community.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Comparing speed to complete progressively more difficult mobile robot paths between human tele‐operators and humans with sensor‐systems to assist

   50 citations · 2009
2. 2
   AI tools for use in assembly automation and some examples of recent applications

   43 citations · 2013
3. 3
   Comparing ability to complete simple tele‐operated rescue or maintenance mobile‐robot tasks with and without a sensor system

   40 citations · 2010
4. 4
   A robotic welding system using image processing techniques and a CAD model to provide information to a multi‐intelligent decision module

   39 citations · 2010
5. 5
   Analysis of the effects of time delays on the teleoperation of a mobile robot in various modes of operation

   38 citations · 2009
6. 6
   Improving ability of tele-operators to complete progressively more difficult mobile robot paths using simple expert systems and ultrasonic sensors

   34 citations · 2010
7. 7
   Analysis of successes and failures with a tele-operated mobile robot in various modes of operation

   31 citations · 2011
8. 8
   Terrain prediction for an eight‐legged robot

   31 citations · 2002
9. 9
   A new robot command library which includes simulation

   31 citations · 1999
10. 10
    Simple expert systems to improve an ultrasonic sensor‐system for a tele‐operated mobile‐robot

    30 citations · 2011

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links