R. Andrew Hicks

University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University

Papers

Total Citations

183

H-Index

About

R. Andrew Hicks is a leading figure in computational optics and catadioptric sensor design, with a career focused on solving the geometric challenges of wide-angle imaging. His most influential work centers on developing reflective surfaces that function as computational sensors, enabling cameras to capture expansive fields of view while preserving the linear perspective crucial for machine vision and robotics. In his seminal 2001 paper, "Reflective surfaces as computational sensors" (78 citations), Hicks laid the theoretical groundwork for using mirrors as active optical elements. He further advanced the field with his 2002 studies on catadioptric sensors that approximate wide-angle perspective projections (54 and 48 citations), where he derived two families of reflective surfaces—based on surfaces of revolution—that achieve high-fidelity perspective projection despite their panoramic scope. These contributions have been instrumental in applications from surveillance to autonomous navigation, offering closed-form solutions that simplify reconstruction and calibration. Hicks’s work bridges pure geometry and practical engineering, making him a key innovator in non-conventional imaging systems.