Lisa Kogan

West Virginia University, University of the Virgin Islands

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Lisa Kogan is a roboticist whose work bridges the gap between biological intelligence and autonomous systems, with a primary focus on field robotics and sensor integration for extreme environments. Her most significant contribution is the development of Cataglyphis, an autonomous sample return rover that won the NASA Sample Return Robot Centennial Challenge in 2015. This achievement marked a milestone in robotics: Cataglyphis was the only robot in the competition capable of autonomously finding, retrieving, and returning multiple types of samples in a large, unstructured outdoor environment—a task fundamental to planetary exploration. Kogan’s research on robot foraging, inspired by biological systems from microbes to megafauna, addresses the critical capability of seeking and identifying objects with limited prior knowledge, with her 2018 paper on the topic garnering 19 citations. She has also advanced tactile sensing for space applications, exploring how embedded sensors can improve robotic manipulators used in satellite repair. With a combined citation count of over 40 across her key works, Kogan’s contributions are shaping the future of autonomous exploration, demonstrating that robots can operate reliably in the most challenging and unpredictable settings.