Mike Lewis

About

Mike Lewis is a pioneering researcher in the field of robotics, with a primary focus on urban search and rescue (USAR) robotics, human-swarm interaction, and robot simulation. His most significant contribution is the development of USARSim, an open-source, high-fidelity robot simulator that has become a cornerstone tool for both research and education, amassing over 423 citations. This platform, which powers the RoboCup virtual USAR competition, has bridged the critical gap between simulation and real-world deployment, enabling standardized multi-robot performance evaluation. Lewis has also made groundbreaking contributions to understanding human control of robot swarms, particularly his work on "neglect benevolence" in the presence of communication latency—a concept that has shaped how researchers design human-swarm interfaces. His work on extracting common sense knowledge from text for robot planning demonstrates his commitment to making autonomous systems more intelligent and adaptable. With a career spanning over two decades, Lewis’s research has fundamentally advanced how robots can assist in disaster response, providing both the theoretical foundations and practical tools that continue to influence a new generation of roboticists.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   USARSim: a robot simulator for research and education

   423 citations · 2007
2. 2
   Bridging the Gap Between Simulation and Reality in Urban Search and Rescue

   85 citations · 2007
3. 3
   Neglect benevolence in human control of swarms in the presence of latency

   71 citations · 2012
4. 4
   USARSim: Providing a Framework for Multi-Robot Performance Evaluation | NIST

   65 citations · 2006
5. 5
   Extracting common sense knowledge from text for robot planning

   24 citations · 2014
6. 6
   Using Haptic Feedback in Human Robotic Swarms Interaction

   13 citations · 2013
7. 7
   USARSim: a RoboCup virtual urban search and rescue competition

   13 citations · 2007
8. 8
   Grounded spatial symbols for task planning based on experience

   12 citations · 2013
9. 9
   Neglect Benevolence in Human-Swarm Interaction with Communication Latency

   11 citations · 2012
10. 10
    An initial evaluation of approaches to building entry for large robot teams

    3 citations · 2009

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links