Professor David P. Miller
Wilkonson Chair of Intelligent Systems

EDUCATION

Ph.D., Computer Science - 1985
Yale University

B.A., Astronomy - 1981
Wesleyan University

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Dr. Miller's research concentrates in two main areas: robotics technology and robotics as a mechanism for technology education.

His interests in robotics technology are in automated planning, robotics, and communications with automated systems. For several years, his research has concentrated on creating control architectures that produce planned goal-directed behavior out of collections of real-time reflexive routines, and then applying that work to real-world problems. He led a team of researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to apply these techniques to planetary rovers which initiated a new class of low-cost planetary missions. The first of these missions was launched to Mars in December of 1996.

Dr. Miller is currently applying these techniques in the development of assistive robotics for the mobility impaired.

He is the co-founder and technical director of the KISS Institute For Practical Robotics, which promotes technology education through robotics at both the University and K-12 age levels. He is also the technical lead for the Botball program.

For more on Dr. Miller's research, visit the Intelligent Robotics Lab.

UNDERGRADUATE COURSES TAUGHT

• Controls Lab
• Robotics Design Practicum
• Intro to Engineering
• Engineering Computing
• Solid Mechanics Lab

UNDERGRADUATE COURSES TAUGHT

• Artificial Intelligence (CS)
• Robotics
• Robot Planning and Control

AWARDS AND HONORS (selected)

• Dave Lavery Technology Award, NASA, 2006 (for his work to promote education in robotic technology through Botball)
• First MITRE Best Paper Award (for "Design and Testing of a Low-Cost Robotic Wheelchair", in Autonomous Robots, volume 1, no. 3), 1995
• Appointment to the College of Teachers, International Space University, Strasbourg, France, 1995
• NASA Certificate of Recognition for "Robby" Mars-Rover Prototype Development, 1993
• NASA Exceptional Service Medal, 1993
• NASA Group Achievement Award to the Rocky IV Team, 1993
• NASA Certificate of Recognition for "Tooth" and "Rocky" Micro-Rover Prototype Development, 1992
• Most Innovative Design Award, American Association for Artificial Intelligence Robot Exhibition, 1992
• Lew Allen Award for Excellence, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA, 1991
• NASA Group Achievement Award to the Robotic Intelligence Team, 1991

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

• American Association for Artificial Intelligence
• American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics