Emilie A. Phillips

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Emilie A. Phillips is a robotics researcher whose work focuses on enabling small unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) to perform complex manipulation tasks in real-world environments. Her primary research area is semi-autonomous robotic manipulation, particularly for explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) and hazardous response scenarios. Phillips’s most notable contribution is the Aladdin project, which developed a semi-autonomous door opening system for EOD-class robots. This work addresses a critical bottleneck in tactical robotics: the ability to navigate through built environments by opening doors, a task that remains challenging for autonomous systems. Her system integrates a modular, compliant gripper with semi-autonomous software, allowing operators to delegate fine manipulation while retaining high-level control. Although her citation count is modest, the Aladdin system represents foundational work in practical, field-deployable manipulation for small robots, with implications for military, search-and-rescue, and hazardous materials operations. Phillips’s research exemplifies the engineering challenges of bridging autonomy and teleoperation in unstructured environments, making her a contributor to the ongoing evolution of practical mobile manipulation.