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About

Kevin J. DeMarco is a robotics researcher whose work sits at the intersection of autonomous underwater vehicles, human-robot interaction, and multi-agent simulation. He is perhaps best known for his pioneering contributions to Underwater Human-Robot Interaction (UHRI), a field exploring how robotic assistants can support human divers in dangerous, unstructured subsea environments. His 2013 paper on sonar-based diver detection and tracking (48 citations) laid critical groundwork for enabling robots to perceive and respond to human partners beneath the surface, while subsequent work on underwater communication protocols and autonomous diver assistance through joint intention theory advanced the practical viability of robotic dive buddies. DeMarco also made significant infrastructure contributions to the AUV community through his implementation of ROS on theАтельно Yellowfin AUV (41 citations), streamlining networked multi-vehicle operations. His development of a computationally efficient 2D sonar model for Gazebo further lowered the barrier to realistic UHRI simulation. More recently, his SCRIMMAGE simulator (22 citations) extended his systems-level thinking to large-scale collaborative multi-agent environments. Spanning perception, communication, autonomy, and simulation, DeMarco's body of work has meaningfully shaped the tools and frameworks researchers rely on to bring underwater human-robot collaboration closer to real-world deployment.