Brittany Killen

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About

Brittany Killen is a robotics researcher whose work focuses on autonomous humanoid locomotion and manipulation, particularly for complex, real-world environments. Her research addresses the critical challenges of motion planning and control for robots operating in unstructured settings, with a strong emphasis on the DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC). Killen’s major contributions include developing continuous trajectory optimization for autonomous door opening by humanoid robots, a foundational task for the DRC. Her work on motion planning and control for ladder climbing on the DRC-Hubo robot is equally significant, generating collision-free, stable quasi-static trajectories with compliance control. These contributions have been recognized with over 45 citations, establishing her as a key figure in humanoid robotics. Beyond these high-impact papers, Killen has also explored the application of rapid prototyping for walking robot design, demonstrating her commitment to integrating modern engineering tools into robotics. Her work on the DRC-Hubo platform has been instrumental in advancing the capabilities of humanoid robots for disaster response, showcasing her ability to bridge theoretical motion planning with practical, real-world execution.