Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Bernard L. Theisen has built a distinguished career at the intersection of autonomous systems, unmanned ground vehicles, and robotics education. His most recognized contributions center on the Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition (IGVC), an influential multidisciplinary student engineering challenge founded by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI). Through his sustained documentation and leadership of the IGVC across multiple years — including the 14th (2006), 15th (2007), and 17th (2009) annual competitions — Theisen has helped shape how the next generation of engineers approaches autonomous systems design and product realization. His work champions hands-on, team-based learning as a vehicle for developing real-world robotics expertise among college students. Beyond competition documentation, Theisen has contributed to applied military robotics research, notably through his involvement in the Construction Equipment Robot Kit (CERK) Warfighter Experiment conducted at Fort Leonard Wood in 2008, which evaluated robotic construction systems for hasty route clearance in operational environments. While his citation counts remain modest, reflecting a specialized niche audience, his body of work has meaningfully advanced both academic robotics education and practical unmanned systems development, making him a notable figure in the unmanned ground vehicle community.