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About

Hangil Joe is a robotics researcher whose work spans autonomous navigation, marine robotics, and field robotics in challenging environments. He is perhaps best known for his contributions to LiDAR-based Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) in featureless tunnel environments — a notoriously difficult domain where conventional algorithms struggle due to the absence of distinctive landmarks. His 2023 paper on LiDAR SLAM with wheel encoder integration (25 citations) and its 2022 companion study (17 citations) represent meaningful advances in enabling reliable autonomous ground vehicle navigation in such constrained settings. Earlier in his career, Joe made significant contributions to marine robotics, developing a mooring-less robotic buoy capable of harvesting wave energy for persistent, anchor-free ocean operation — work that garnered 13 citations and addressed critical challenges in long-duration maritime data collection. He has also explored underwater sonar-based seabed mapping, snake robot locomotion optimization using genetic algorithms, and, most recently, maritime robotics simulation using Unreal Engine 5. His research portfolio reflects a versatile engineer consistently drawn to environments — tunnels, open oceans, disaster zones — where conventional robotic solutions fall short, making his work particularly valuable for real-world field deployment.