Somasundar Kannan
University of Luxembourg, Recherches Scientifiques Luxembourg, Robert Gordon University
Papers
19
Total Citations
232
H-Index
8
About
Somasundar Kannan’s research lies at the intersection of swarm robotics, autonomous aerial manipulation, and intelligent control systems. His pioneering work on UAV swarms introduces a novel Chaotic Ant Colony with Model Predictive Control (CACOC) mobility model, which uses chaotic dynamics to enhance collision avoidance and area exploration—a foundational contribution cited over 90 times. Kannan also advanced aerial manipulation by developing operational space control for quadrotors with attached robotic arms, addressing the complex coupling dynamics that hinder precision. His practical contributions include a widely referenced testbed for vision-based UAV control using V-REP and ROS, enabling rapid prototyping for aerial inspection tasks. Beyond aerial systems, Kannan has explored lightweight robotic arms actuated by shape memory alloy wires, offering a path to lighter, more dexterous manipulators for aerial and space applications. His work on model predictive cooperative localization and control of multiple UAVs, as well as cooperative space robots, demonstrates a sustained focus on coordinated autonomy. With over 200 total citations and recent work extending into full autonomy for underwater robotics, Kannan’s research continues to shape the future of autonomous multi-robot systems across air, space, and sea.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 3Modeling and Control of Aerial Manipulation Vehicle with Visual sensor25 citations · 2013
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- 7Control of aerial manipulation vehicle in operational space12 citations · 2016
- 8Lightweight robotic arm actuated by shape memory alloy (SMA) wires8 citations · 2016
- 9Model predictive control for cooperative control of space robots7 citations · 2017
- 10Full autonomy in underwater robotics systems: A realistic prospect?5 citations · 2025