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About

Jae-Cheol Lee is a robotics researcher specializing in inspection robotics, autonomous systems, and teleoperation, with a particular focus on applications in nuclear power plant environments. His work addresses one of the most challenging frontiers in industrial robotics: deploying autonomous and semi-autonomous systems in hazardous, hard-to-reach infrastructure where human access is limited or dangerous. Lee's most significant contributions include the development of PiROB, a vision-based pipe-climbing robot designed to inspect spray pipes in nuclear reactor buildings, and LAROB, a laser-guided underwater mobile robot for reactor vessel inspection — both garnering 28 citations each and representing landmark achievements in nuclear facility maintenance robotics. His research on vision-based pipe grasping and laser-assisted automatic gripping demonstrates a sophisticated integration of computer vision and mechanical design to enable inchworm-style locomotion across complex pipe networks, including those featuring flanges and valves. Beyond autonomous platforms, Lee has contributed to teleoperation infrastructure through his work on master station development for rescue robot remote control, acknowledging the critical role of human oversight in unpredictable environments. His body of work collectively advances safer, more reliable inspection methodologies for critical infrastructure, making meaningful contributions to nuclear safety engineering and field robotics.