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Mielad Sabzehi

Address:

4800 Oak Grove Drive

Pasadena, CA 91109

Mielad Sabzehi

Robotics Technologist

Biography

Mielad Sabzehi is a Robotics Technologist within the Robotic Mobility Group at JPL. He obtained both his BSc and MSc in Mechanical Engineering from RWTH Aachen University, with his master's program focusing on Aerospace Engineering and Computer Science. Before assuming his current role, he was engaged at JPL as a Visiting Researcher, where his research was centered on leveraging machine learning for the mobility optimization of highly articulated planetary rovers. He is a member of the Mobility & Mechanisms subsystem team for the Mars Science Laboratory rover and Robotic Arm subsystem team for the Mars 2020 rover. In his capacity as a Technologist, he is responsible for crafting and presenting innovative research and development (R&D) proposals.

Mielad leads the development of CAIDDA (Curiosity A.I. Detects Drive Anomalies), an anomaly detection model based on unsupervised learning for the Curiosity rover's mobility subsystem. This data-driven approach aims to enhance the rover's existing model-based fault protection, aiding the ground operations team in detecting anomalies in Martian flight telemetry.

Education

MSc, Mechanical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, 2023
BSc, Mechanical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, 2021

Professional Experience

Robotics Technologist, JPL, 2023-Present
Visiting Researcher, JPL, 2022-2023

Research Interests

  • Machine learning-based fault and anomaly detection
  • Machine learning-based wheel slip estimation with proprioception

Awards

Voyager Award - January 2024 - Mars 2020 (Perseverance) - Citation: "For significant contributions to the VSTB RA noise anomaly data analysis, applying signal processing analysis to provide more insight into arm actuator health."

Springorum Medal - September 2023 - RWTH Aachen University - Citation: "In recognition of completing the Master's degree with distinction."

Flight Project and Research Task Involvement

Flight Projects
Robot Operations

Publications

2024
  1. M. Sabzehi and P. Rollins, "Enhancing Rover Mobility Monitoring: Autoencoder-driven Anomaly Detection for Curiosity," 2024 IEEE Aerospace Conference, Big Sky, MT, USA, pp. 1-7, 02 March 2024.
2023
  1. Arthur Bouton, William Reid, Travis Brown, Adriana Daca, Mielad Sabzehi, and Hari Nayar, "Experimental Study of Alternative Rover Configurations and Mobility Modes for Planetary Exploration," 2023 IEEE Aerospace Conference, Big Sky, MT, USA, pp. 1-13, 04 March 2023.