Phillip McKerrow
Papers
13
Total Citations
138
H-Index
6
About
Phillip McKerrow’s research sits at the intersection of robotics, bio-inspired navigation, and ultrasonic sensing, with a career-long focus on enabling mobile robots to perceive and move through the world as humans do—especially those who are blind. His most influential work, “Recognising plants with ultrasonic sensing for mobile robot navigation” (2001, 37 citations), pioneered the use of continuous-transmission frequency-modulated (CTFM) sonar to identify natural vegetation, a novel approach for outdoor robot navigation. He extended this into outdoor landmark-based navigation (2003, 34 citations), demonstrating how robots could follow continuous environmental features using only ultrasonic echoes. McKerrow also ventured into unconventional robot design with “The design of a tethered aerial robot” (2007, 22 citations), describing a swinging robot controlled by tether length and ducted fans—a creative solution for aerial manipulation. A consistent theme in his work is mimicking human echolocation: his 2010 study on wall-following with a single ultrasonic sensor drew directly from observations of blind individuals using the K-Sonar mobility aid. Across his career, McKerrow’s papers have accumulated over 130 citations, reflecting his lasting influence on sensor-based navigation and human-robot interaction.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Recognising plants with ultrasonic sensing for mobile robot navigation37 citations · 2001
- 2
- 3The design of a tethered aerial robot22 citations · 2007
- 4Research Into Navigation with CTFM Ultrasonic Sensors9 citations · 2007
- 5Landmark navigation with fuzzy logic6 citations · 2006
- 6Perceiving A Corridor With CTFM Ultrasonic Sensing6 citations · 2007
- 7
- 8A soft ware architecture for mobile robot navigation4 citations · 2008
- 9Robotics, an academic discipline?4 citations · 1986
- 10Wall Following with a Single Ultrasonic Sensor4 citations · 2010