Arturo Rankin is a senior member of the Computer Vision for Surface Applications group (3476) of the Autonomous Systems Division. He graduated from the University of Florida in 1997 with a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering. Since joining the technical staff at JPL in April, 1997, he has functioned as a task manager for MER and DoD projects, a member of the MER mission operations, MSL Mobility V&V, InSight Testbed Lander, and LSOT Testbed Lander teams, as well as a cognizant engineer. He led the effort that successfully integrated the Field D* global path planner into MER flight software.

He has also developed obstacle detection and terrain mapping software for a variety of reimbursable unmanned ground vehicle programs, such as Demo III Experimental Unmanned Ground Vehicle, Perception for Off-Road Robots, Robotic Collaborative Technology Alliances, and Future Combat System Autonomous Navigation System. Prior to arriving at JPL, he functioned as the software lead for path planning and path following strategies at the University of Florida for a variety of ordnance detection and removal projects sponsored by Wright Laboratories, Tyndall AFB (Rapid Runway Repair, SOCS, Joint Amphibious Mine Clearance, Remote Excavation Vehicle Systems).

Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering (1997)
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida

Dissertation: Development of Path Tracking Software for an Autonomous Steered-Wheeled Robotic Vehicle and its Trailer

Research advisior: Professor Carl D. Crane III

M.S. in Mechanical Engineering (1993)
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida

Thesis: Path Planning and Path Execution Software for an Autonomous Non-Holonomic Robotic Vehicle

B.S. in Mechanical Engineering (1987)
Catholic University of America, Washington D.C.

Senior Technical Staff Member, JPL
Computer Vision for Surface Applications Group

Principle investigator/task manager/CogE for various research tasks funded by NASA, DARPA, and U.S. Army sponsors

Manage reimbursable and/or flight task(s), support MER operations and MSL Mobility V&V, develop/test/deliver path planning, terrain classification, and/or terrain mapping software to reimbursable and flight tasks, and propose new work.

Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
Member of the Mobility V&V team (8/2012 - present)

Participate in verification and validation of autonav software

NMO716265: ONR Sensor Fusion
Task Manager (3/2012 - present)

JPL is tasked with designing and building a low-cost perception system for an internally transportable vehicle (ITV)

Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Operations
Member of the Mobility/IDD downlink analysis team (10/2006 - present)

Perform assessment of Mobility and IDD engineering downlink data

NMO715701: ONR Autonomy For Unmanned Sea Surface Vehicles
Camera System Cognizant Engineer (5/2011 - 9/2012)

EO and thermal infrared sensor selection for a HammerHead high resolution (4kx4k) perception system containing left and right looking stereo pairs of cameras

InSight TestBed Lander
Camera System Cognizant Engineer (7/2011 - 5/2012)

Design and implement imaging software and sequences for acquiring stereo pairs of images from a single robotic arm camera for MIPL processing

Lunar Surface Operations TestBed (LSOT) Lander
Camera System Cognizant Engineer (4/2010 - 4/2011)

Design, implement, and document terrain assessment software for digging hazards

NMO715443 - ARL Robotics Collaborative Technology Alliances (RCTA)
Cognizant Engineer (04/2004 – 12/2009)

JPL software lead on obstacle detection, terrain mapping, and water/mud

detection development

Integrated multi-cue water detection and localization on an unmanned ground vehicle

Accomplished autonomous navigation around a water body

Implemented 1st generation mud detector using color stereo and polarization sensors

Implemented stereo-based traversability cost analysis in a scrolling world map

TDA2735 - D* Integration into MER
Task Manager (05/2005 - 03/2007)

Led the effort that successfully integrated the Field D* global path planner into MER flight software

NMO715748 - Perception System for Army Future Combat System (FCS) Autonomous Navigation System (ANS)
Task Manager (2/2010 – 4/2010)
Cognizant Engineer (04/2004 - 06/2007)

Managing passive perception software development

Delivered water detection software to the program

Performed LWIR stereo and rolling shutter CMOS stereo sensor evaluations for passive perception system

NMO715441 - DARPA Perception for Off-Road Robots (PerceptOR)
Cognizant Engineer (03/2001 - 03/2004)

Managed passive perception system hardware and software development, integration, and testing

JPL software lead on passive perception obstacle detection and terrain mapping

Implemented a set of geometry-based discrete obstacle detectors (negative, positive, excessive slope, low overhang, high density)

Implemented combined geometry and thermal signature based negative obstacle detection

ARL Demo III Experimental Unmanned Ground Vehicle
Cognizant Engineer (01/2002 - 07/2002)
System Engineer (04/1997 - 01/2002

JPL autonomous mobility software lead for stereo-vision related positive obstacle detection, negative obstacle detection, tree-line detection (out to 100 meters), low-bandwidth terrain mapping, and active gaze control.

DARPA Tactical Mobile Robots (TMR)
System Engineer (09/1998 - 11/1999)

Assisted port of CMU Morphin path planner to Urbie

Provided path following software used in leader/follower behavior

Robotic Vehicle Path Following

Dissertation: “Development of Path Tracking Software for an Autonomous Steered-Wheeled Robotic Vehicle and its Trailer”

Robotic Vehicle Path Planning

M.S. Thesis: “Path Planning and Path Execution Software for an Autonomous Non-Holonomic Robotic Vehicle”

Terrain Perception

Binary obstacle detection (negative, positive, excessive slope, low overhang, density based)

Multi-cue obstacle detection (e.g., geometry and thermal)

Multi-sensor obstacle detection

Terrain traversability analysis

Terrain mapping

Sensor characterization

Water and mud detection for terrestrial applications

2012 NSBE Aerospace Systems Conference 21st Century Trailblazers in Aerospace Award

2010 NASA Group Achievement Award(MER Electro-mechanical Failure Mitigation Team)

2009 JPL Mariner Award

2008 NASA Group Achievement Award (MER Extended Mission team)

2007 NASA Space Act Award for Field D* global path planner integration into MER flight software.

2006 Mars Exploration Directorate Team Bonus Award for integration of the Field D* global path planner into the MER flight software

2000 JPL Technical Excellence Award (Tactical Mobile Robots team)

2000 JPL TAP Group Achievement Award (Demo III team)