Philip Caspers

Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Virginia Tech

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Philip Caspers is a leading researcher in bio-inspired robotics and autonomous navigation, with a primary focus on developing sonar systems modeled after bat echolocation. His work bridges biology and engineering, exploring how the dynamic acoustic sensing strategies of bats—particularly horseshoe bats—can be applied to terrain classification and obstacle detection for autonomous vehicles. Caspers’ most cited paper (16 citations) introduces a bat-inspired echolocation method for terrain classification, demonstrating how acoustic pulses can provide detailed environmental awareness even in low-visibility conditions. He further advanced this field by designing a dynamic biomimetic sonarhead that replicates the active deformations of horseshoe bats’ noseleaves and pinnae, a novel contribution to robotic sensing. Caspers has also developed sophisticated analytical tools, including Bayesian functional mixed models, to handle the complex, structured sonar data that simpler methods fail to capture. His work is notable for its interdisciplinary approach, offering low-cost, complementary sensing solutions for small robotic platforms. With a growing citation record, Caspers is recognized for pushing the boundaries of how autonomous systems can “hear” their environment, making his research essential reading for students and engineers interested in bio-inspired robotics and sensor design.