David Miller's Web Page
Dear potential graduate students: Please do NOT send me an email asking about your prospects of joining my research group until AFTER you have completed and submitted your application to OU -- and only then if there is additional information you want to give me that was not included in your application (e.g., a link to a paper or video of a relevant project on which you worked). I cannot make any decisions on admission or financial support without first having seen a completed graduate school application. If you wish to make sure that I see your application, please select "intelligent systems" as your area of interest on an OU AME application, or put a note requesting my review on an application to OU CS.
| My current research
is primarily focused on long duration autonomous rovers for exploring
the Moon and Mars. The picture to the right is of SR2, a robot
designed and built at OU for Malin Space
Sciences Inc. We ran this robot in a California desert where
it was able to navigate on its own and complete a traverse of more than
a kilometer in a day using solar power. It found its way between
rocks, up and down ridges, etc using its onboard sensors and navigation
software. More details on SR2 and other research projects can be
found by looking at the papers hyperlinked from my CV.
|
|
| Another of my interests in engineering outreach.
I believe that robotics is a good way to interest young people in
science and engineering. Towards that end, I have some projects with
KISS Institute for Practical Robotics,
a not for profit company that runs the Botball program, and other technology
outreach programs for students of all ages.
If you are college aged or beyond, you should consider entering the Beyond Botball competition. Many schools, including OU, use this contest as part of their robotics curriculum. It is great to see all the different approaches people have taken when they meet at the international competition in July. |
|
| I've only been at OU since the Fall of 1999.
I have online summaries and pictures
of several of my previous projects, including work I did leading towards
the 1997 Mars Rover mission. |
|
| Along with several other OU faculty members,
I'm trying to put together the Sooner
Lunar Schooner mission -- an alumni funded Oklahoma robotic mission
to the Moon. Before you laugh, keep in mind that such a mission would cost
about the same amount, or maybe even a little less than the recent upgrades
to OU's Memorial Stadium; OU's staff and students encompass virtually the
entire skill set needed to do such a mission; and the Oklahoma Space Industry Development
Authority is quickly becoming a significant player in the national space
scene. Watch this space for future announcements about the SLS project.
You can download
a paper about SLS as a multi-disciplinary education project. |
|