Katherine J. Mimnaugh

About

Katherine J. Mimnaugh is a robotics and human-computer interaction researcher whose work sits at the cutting edge of immersive telepresence, motion planning, and extended reality (XR). Her research focuses primarily on how autonomous mobile robots can be controlled and navigated in ways that prioritize the comfort, presence, and perceptual well-being of remotely embodied users experiencing environments through head-mounted displays. Mimnaugh's most influential contribution, "Human perception-optimized planning for comfortable VR-based telepresence" (2020, 22 citations), introduced a novel motion planning framework that simultaneously balances effectiveness and comfort for immersive robot users — a challenge with significant implications for healthcare, remote work, and accessibility. Building on this foundation, she has investigated how specific robot movements, such as rotations and path curvature, trigger VR sickness, proposing practical solutions like rotation unwinding and smooth trajectory design. Her leaning-based robot control work further demonstrates her commitment to intuitive, embodied human-robot interaction. Perhaps most ambitiously, Mimnaugh co-proposed the conceptual framework of "Human Perception Engineering," advocating for a unified discipline centered on designing perceptual illusions in XR environments. With over 60 cumulative citations across her publications, her research is shaping how engineers and designers think about the human experience inside increasingly immersive robotic systems.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Human perception-optimized planning for comfortable VR-based telepresence

   22 citations · 2020
2. 2
   Unwinding Rotations Improves User Comfort with Immersive Telepresence Robots

   10 citations · 2022
3. 3
   Comfort and sickness while virtually aboard an autonomous telepresence robot

   7 citations · 2021
4. 4
   Leaning-Based Control of an Immersive-Telepresence Robot

   7 citations · 2022
5. 5
   Analysis of User Preferences for Robot Motions in Immersive Telepresence

   7 citations · 2021
6. 6
   HI-DWA: Human-Influenced Dynamic Window Approach for Shared Control of a Telepresence Robot

   4 citations · 2022
7. 7
   Defining Preferred and Natural Robot Motions in Immersive Telepresence from a First-Person Perspective

   4 citations · 2021
8. 8
   Human Perception Engineering

   2 citations · 2022

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links