Didier Henrion

Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Czech Technical University in Prague

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Didier Henrion is a leading researcher in robotics and optimization, whose work bridges the gap between theoretical polynomial optimization and practical robotic applications. His primary research areas include inverse kinematics, hand-eye calibration, and optimal control, with a strong emphasis on globally optimal solutions. Henrion’s most notable contribution is his groundbreaking work on the Inverse Kinematics (IK) problem for 7DOF serial manipulators, where he developed a globally optimal solution that accounts for joint limits and quadratic objectives—a problem traditionally plagued by local minima. This work, published in 2022, has already garnered 26 citations, reflecting its immediate impact. Earlier, he addressed the hand-eye and robot-world calibration problem using global polynomial optimization (2014, 7 citations), providing a robust framework for aligning camera and robot coordinate systems. His 2017 paper on positivity certificates in optimal control further demonstrates his versatility. Henrion’s achievements are characterized by his ability to transform complex, non-convex problems into tractable polynomial forms, enabling certifiably optimal solutions. For students and researchers, his work offers a masterclass in applying algebraic geometry and convex optimization to real-world robotics challenges, making him a pivotal figure in the field.