N. H. Macmillan

Papers

Total Citations

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About

N. H. Macmillan is a robotics researcher whose work centers on autonomous navigation in GPS-denied environments, with a particular focus on range-based localization and sensor placement. Their major contributions lie in developing algorithms for optimizing beacon field configurations and path planning using range-only sensors. In their most cited work, "The Range Beacon Placement Problem for Robot Navigation" (2014, 10 citations), Macmillan addresses the critical challenge of maximizing robot navigation accuracy and robustness by strategically placing beacons that provide position estimates. This research has direct applications in indoor, underground, and other environments where satellite-based positioning is unavailable. Their earlier paper, "Range-based Navigation System for a Mobile Robot" (2011, 8 citations), introduces an innovative approach to path planning within fixed beacon fields by calculating entropy values for regions of interest and identifying "safe," low-entropy paths between them. Macmillan also describes a complete robotic system for performing range-based localization, demonstrating practical implementation of their theoretical work. While their citation counts reflect a focused, early-career impact, their contributions to sensor instrumentation and entropy-based navigation represent meaningful advances in autonomous robotics.