Hasan A. Poonawala
The University of Texas at Austin, The University of Texas at Dallas, University of Kentucky
Papers
12
Total Citations
389
H-Index
7
About
Hasan A. Poonawala’s research lies at the intersection of multi-robot systems, nonlinear control, and human-robot interaction, with a focus on enabling safe, coordinated autonomy under real-world constraints. His most impactful work addresses the fundamental challenge of preserving network connectivity and preventing collisions in teams of nonholonomic wheeled mobile robots. In a highly cited 2014 paper (101 citations), he introduced a decentralized control law that simultaneously maintains communication links and avoids inter-robot collisions, a critical enabler for scalable swarm operations. He further extended this to directed proximity graphs (44 citations), ensuring strong connectivity even when robots have asymmetric communication ranges. Poonawala also made notable contributions to human gait analysis, developing a robust parameterization of phase-shifting perturbations (132 citations) that bridges concepts from bipedal robotics to human locomotion. His recent work explores the intersection of machine learning and control, investigating how gravity compensation can accelerate reinforcement learning for robotic manipulators and how to train classifiers that respect safety constraints. With over 380 total citations, Poonawala’s research provides foundational tools for deploying multi-robot systems in real-world environments, from search-and-rescue to manufacturing, while his forays into human motion analysis open new avenues for assistive robotics and rehabilitation.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 3Preserving Strong Connectivity in Directed Proximity Graphs44 citations · 2017
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- 5Formation control of wheeled robots with vision-based position measurement28 citations · 2012
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- 8Training classifiers for feedback control with safety in mind7 citations · 2021
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