Papers
10
Total Citations
201
H-Index
6
About
Jesse Pentzer is a robotics researcher whose work centers on skid-steer robot kinematics, motion modeling, and energy-efficient autonomous navigation. His most significant contributions address one of the fundamental challenges in ground robotics: accurately modeling and predicting the complex wheel-slipping behavior inherent to skid-steer platforms, which are among the most commercially prevalent ground robots due to their mechanical robustness. Pentzer's most influential work introduces kinematic extended Kalman filter (EKF) frameworks that estimate Instantaneous Centers of Rotation (ICRs) in real time, enabling precise odometry and motion prediction for skid-steer vehicles. His most-cited paper on this topic has accumulated 86 citations and laid groundwork that he extended across multiple studies, including energy-aware path planning on flat and hilly terrain, online power model estimation, and fault-aware navigation filtering. A particularly novel contribution bridges decades of unicycle robot control theory to skid-steer platforms through ICR mapping, broadening the applicability of existing control strategies. Beyond locomotion modeling, Pentzer has explored practical robotic power management, comparing battery and generator power sources and investigating continuously variable transmissions for improved efficiency. His applied research even extends to wheelchair safety, using ICR estimation to detect dangerous tire slip. Collectively, his work represents a cohesive and impactful research program advancing the reliability and autonomy of ground mobile robots.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5Energy-Aware Path Planning for Skid-Steer Robots Operating on Hilly Terrain20 citations · 2020
- 6
- 7
- 8Extended kalman filter for improved navigation with fault awareness4 citations · 2014
- 9
- 10