Papers
7
Total Citations
61
H-Index
4
About
Steve McGuire’s research lies at the intersection of autonomous robotics, human-robot interaction, and resilient space operations. He is best known for pioneering adaptive fault recovery systems that enable robots to learn from human physiological cues and past performance—work that earned over 30 citations across his core papers. His 2018 *Failure is Not an Option* paper demonstrated how reinforcement learning can help robots choose the right human assistant during space missions, a concept he validated in subsequent work with contextual Gaussian processes. McGuire also made significant contributions to the DARPA Subterranean Challenge, where his team’s flexible supervised autonomy and heterogeneous ground-air mesh networking earned a 3rd-place finish. His earlier exploration of planetary skylights and tunnels helped frame the modern era of cave and pit discovery on the Moon and Mars. By bridging autonomous exploration, human-aware recovery, and real-world systems integration, McGuire’s work directly addresses the challenges of deploying robots in GPS-denied, austere environments—from underground caves to deep space.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Flexible Supervised Autonomy for Exploration in Subterranean Environments16 citations · 2023
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- 4Exploration of Planetary Skylights and Tunnels6 citations · 2014
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