Lev Rapoport

About

Lev Rapoport is a control systems researcher whose work centers on the mathematical foundations of wheeled robot motion control, path planning, and stabilization theory. Over two decades of sustained research, he has made significant contributions to the rigorous formulation and solution of path-following problems for nonholonomic robotic systems, blending nonlinear control theory with practical robotics applications. Rapoport's most influential contributions address the estimation of attraction domains and invariant ellipsoids in robot control — tools that provide formal guarantees on the regions within which a robot can reliably converge to a desired path. His most-cited work (34 citations) established foundational methods for analyzing wheeled robot kinematics and designing provably stable controllers. Subsequent papers extended these results to increasingly realistic scenarios, including uneven terrain, steering gear dynamics, and phase and control constraints. A particularly elegant strand of his research introduces a *canonical representation* of path-following problems, reducing complex nonlinear, nonstationary systems to tractable stabilizable forms — a conceptual contribution recognized across multiple publications. He has also addressed practical path planning challenges, including trajectory smoothing under curvature constraints and dynamic obstacle avoidance. His experimental work integrating GNSS and inertial navigation demonstrates commitment to real-world validation. With over 160 cumulative citations, Rapoport's work remains a valuable reference for researchers tackling rigorous, mathematically grounded mobile robot control.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Estimation of attraction domains in wheeled robot control

   34 citations · 2006
2. 2
   Motion control for a wheeled robot following a curvilinear path

   31 citations · 2008
3. 3
   Stabilization problem for a wheeled robot following a curvilinear path on uneven terrain

   16 citations · 2010
4. 4
   Smoothing curvature of trajectories constructed by noisy measurements in path planning problems for wheeled robots

   16 citations · 2008
5. 5
   Construction of invariant ellipsoids in the stabilization problem for a wheeled robot following a curvilinear path

   16 citations · 2009
6. 6
   Canonical representation of a nonstationary path following problem

   15 citations · 2015
7. 7
   Canonical representation of the path following problem for wheeled robots

   12 citations · 2013
8. 8
   Control of Wheeled Robots Using GNSS and Inertial Navigation: Control Law Synthesis and Experimental Results

   12 citations · 2006
9. 9
   Path deformation method for robot motion planning problems in the presence of obstacles

   8 citations · 2013
10. 10
    Attraction Domains in the Control Problem of a Wheeled Robot Following a Curvilinear Path over an Uneven Surface

    6 citations · 2021

Key Collaborators

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