John T. Feddema

About

John T. Feddema is a distinguished robotics researcher whose career has centered on visual servoing, autonomous robotic systems, and multi-robot coordination. His pioneering early work on vision-guided robot control — particularly his 1989 paper on feature-based trajectory generation (305 citations) and his 1991 study on weighted image feature selection (198 citations) — helped establish the theoretical and practical foundations of eye-in-hand robotic systems, enabling robots to intelligently interpret visual feedback for precise manipulation tasks. Feddema extended this expertise into microassembly, applying visual servoing to the intricate assembly of LIGA microstructures, and developed innovative methods for slosh-free liquid transport by robotic arms, demonstrating a remarkable breadth of application. His 2002 work on decentralized control of cooperative robotic vehicles (256 citations) reflects his evolution toward multi-agent systems, contributing rigorous theoretical frameworks for coordinating autonomous vehicles at scale. Additional contributions spanning flexible robot dynamics, digital filter vibration suppression, whole-arm obstacle avoidance, and optimal robot placement underscore his comprehensive systems-level thinking. With over 1,200 combined citations across his most recognized works, Feddema's research has proven foundational for generations of robotics engineers advancing manipulation, autonomy, and human-robot collaboration.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Vision-guided servoing with feature-based trajectory generation (for robots)

   305 citations · 1989
2. 2
   Decentralized control of cooperative robotic vehicles: theory and application

   256 citations · 2002
3. 3
   Weighted selection of image features for resolved rate visual feedback control

   198 citations · 1991
4. 4
   Control for slosh-free motion of an open container

   142 citations · 1997
5. 5
   Automatic selection of image features for visual servoing of a robot manipulator

   77 citations · 2003
6. 6
   Digital Filter Control of Remotely Operated Flexible Robotic Structures

   73 citations · 1993
7. 7
   Flexible Robot Dynamics and Controls

   63 citations · 2002
8. 8
   Kinematically optimal robot placement for minimum time coordinated motion

   55 citations · 2002
9. 9
   Whole arm obstacle avoidance for teleoperated robots

   55 citations · 2002
10. 10
    Visual servoing and CAD-driven microassembly

    55 citations · 1998

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links