Papers
11
Total Citations
187
H-Index
6
About
James L. Overholt is a robotics and autonomous systems researcher whose work spans parallel mechanism kinematics, unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), and mobile robot localization. His earliest influential contribution — a 1993 paper on exact kinematic determination methods for Stewart platforms (63 citations) — addressed a fundamental challenge in high-precision parallel robotic mechanisms widely used in simulation and control engineering. Overholt subsequently turned his attention to autonomous ground vehicles, making notable strides in hazard avoidance, omnidirectional mobility, and off-road terrain navigation. His development of agile, man-portable UGVs featuring active split offset caster modules demonstrated practical solutions for rough outdoor environments, while his model predictive control approach to LIDAR-based hazard avoidance (36 citations) advanced safe high-speed autonomous navigation. A recurring theme in his research is robust robot localization: his work on ultra-wideband (UWB) radio-based tracking systems (37 citations) tackled the persistent challenges of multipath interference and positional bias in GPS-denied environments. Complementing this, his contributions to multi-robot map merging and proprioceptive behavior frameworks reflect a holistic vision of autonomous systems capable of intelligent, self-aware operation in complex, real-world conditions.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2UWB tracking of mobile robots37 citations · 2010
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- 4Design and Development of an Agile, Man Portable Unmanned Ground Vehicle14 citations · 2008
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- 6Occupancy Grid Map Merging using Feature Maps9 citations · 2010
- 7An Ultra-Wideband RF Method for Localizing an Autonomous Mobile Robot4 citations · 2004
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