Nelson Soberon

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Nelson Soberon is a robotics researcher dedicated to democratizing access to advanced legged robotics through open-source, low-cost design. His primary research areas include quadruped robot development, autonomous navigation, and affordable hardware platforms for education and research. Soberon’s most notable contribution is the creation of "Charlotte," a low-cost, open-source semi-autonomous quadruped robot introduced in 2020. This work directly addresses a critical barrier in the field: the prohibitive cost and complexity of legged robots, which limits their use in exploration, monitoring, and data collection on non-uniform terrains. By providing an accessible platform, Soberon enables students, hobbyists, and researchers to experiment with and advance legged locomotion without substantial financial investment. His work has garnered attention, with the Charlotte paper accumulating 6 citations, reflecting its growing influence as a foundational resource for affordable robotics. Soberon’s achievement lies not just in building a functional robot, but in lowering the entry barrier to a sophisticated field, fostering innovation and hands-on learning in robotics worldwide.