Richard Parker
Papers
5
Total Citations
49
H-Index
4
About
Richard Parker’s research lies at the critical intersection of forestry, robotics, and human-machine interaction, with a focus on automating labor-intensive and hazardous tasks in New Zealand’s plantation forests. His most influential work, “The introduction of robotics for New Zealand forestry operations: Forest sector employee perceptions and implications” (2012, 28 citations), provides a foundational socio-technical analysis of how workers view automation—a crucial perspective often overlooked in engineering-focused studies. Parker’s technical contributions are equally innovative. He has pioneered the design of a teleoperated, bipedal felling machine that uses arboreal locomotion—inspired by monkeys—to navigate steep terrain, a novel approach detailed in his 2014 paper (6 citations). To enable semi-autonomous operation, he developed a LiDAR-based tree trunk detection system (2015, 5 citations) that allows robots to identify tree position and orientation. His work also extends to haptic feedback for steer-by-wire systems (2004, 8 citations) and a K-Means Partitioned Space Path Planning algorithm for discrete-crop harvesting (2015, 2 citations). By blending robotics, sensor systems, and human factors, Parker is shaping a future where forestry is safer, more efficient, and more socially accepted.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 3Sensor guided biped felling machine for steep terrain harvesting6 citations · 2014
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