Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Juan Salazar is a pioneering roboticist whose work spans autonomous underwater vehicles, aerial robotics, and extraterrestrial construction systems. His research centers on the automatic co-design and coordination of multi-robot systems, with a particular focus on soft robotics and reconfigurable platforms for extreme environments. Salazar’s most cited paper, “Multi-Robot Visual Control of Autonomous Soft Robotic Fish” (2022, 11 citations), introduces novel coordination strategies for AUV fleets, reducing individual vehicle constraints while enhancing mission performance. He further advances the field with “Automatic Co-Design of Aerial Robots Using a Graph Grammar” (2022, 9 citations), which tackles the bottleneck of task-specific UAV design by automating shape and controller synthesis. His work on heterogeneous underwater fleets (2022, 9 citations) extends these computational design approaches to multi-robot systems. Notably, Salazar contributed to NASA’s Artemis program through “WORMS: A Reconfigurable Robotic Mobility System for Extreme Lunar Terrain” (2022, 4 citations), proposing innovative mobility solutions for lunar exploration. His forward-looking “Moon BRICCSS” (2025, 2 citations) explores regolith-based construction for sustainable lunar habitats. With over 35 total citations and a strong publication record in 2022, Salazar is establishing himself as a key figure in autonomous systems for challenging environments, bridging robotics, space exploration, and sustainable infrastructure.