Jan Tommy Gravdahl

About

Jan Tommy Gravdahl is a prominent robotics and control systems researcher whose work spans marine vehicle guidance, snake robotics, and autonomous agricultural systems. He is perhaps best known for his foundational contributions to integral line-of-sight (ILOS) guidance methods for underactuated marine vehicles, a 2016 paper that has garnered over 337 citations and established key theoretical and experimental frameworks for path-following in challenging underwater environments. His sustained focus on snake robots — encompassing locomotion control, underwater navigation, and biologically inspired design — has profoundly shaped the field, with his 2011 review and 2012 monograph *Snake Robots* collectively accumulating nearly 400 citations. The development of Mamba, a waterproof, tactile-sensing snake robot, exemplifies his commitment to bridging theory and physical experimentation. Gravdahl's research also extends into agricultural robotics, with notable work on robotic in-row weed control reflecting his interest in applying autonomous systems to real-world challenges. Through rigorous nonlinear control analysis, innovative hardware development, and extensive experimental validation, his body of work has provided researchers worldwide with both the mathematical tools and practical platforms to advance autonomous marine and terrestrial robotics.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Integral Line-of-Sight Guidance and Control of Underactuated Marine Vehicles: Theory, Simulations, and Experiments

   337 citations · 2016
2. 2
   A review on modelling, implementation, and control of snake robots

   246 citations · 2011
3. 3
   Robotic in-row weed control in vegetables

   160 citations · 2018
4. 4
   Snake Robots

   152 citations · 2012
5. 5
   Integral Line-of-Sight Guidance for Path Following Control of Underwater Snake Robots: Theory and Experiments

   149 citations · 2017
6. 6
   Innovation in Underwater Robots: Biologically Inspired Swimming Snake Robots

   135 citations · 2016
7. 7
   Mamba - A waterproof snake robot with tactile sensing

   126 citations · 2014
8. 8
   Controllability and Stability Analysis of Planar Snake Robot Locomotion

   110 citations · 2010
9. 9
   Modeling of underwater snake robots

   83 citations · 2014
10. 10
    Experimental Investigation of Obstacle-Aided Locomotion With a Snake Robot

    74 citations · 2011

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links