Eckehard Steinbach

About

Eckehard Steinbach is a prominent researcher whose work spans robotics, computer vision, haptics, and networked systems, with particular emphasis on enabling intelligent autonomous and collaborative machines. His contributions to simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) have been especially influential: his team's work on collaborative visual SLAM with compressed feature exchange and efficient map compression has advanced multi-robot exploration of unknown environments, collectively attracting over 97 citations. His LiDAR-based R-LOAM framework, with 57 citations, pushed the boundaries of precise indoor localization by leveraging known 3D reference objects. Beyond mapping, Steinbach has tackled the challenges of low-latency video communication, analyzing glass-to-glass delays critical for autonomous driving systems, and explored Tactile Internet infrastructures for human-agent-robot teamwork. His research also extends into robot perception and manipulation — developing novel grasp quality metrics for deformable objects, reconstructing transparent objects with depth cameras, and integrating visuo-haptic sensing for mobile platforms. More recently, his work on skill refinement for teleoperation addresses real-world network unreliability in human-robot collaboration. Across these domains, Steinbach's research consistently bridges fundamental perception challenges with practical robotic applications, making him a versatile and impactful figure in intelligent systems research.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   R-LOAM: Improving LiDAR Odometry and Mapping With Point-to-Mesh Features of a Known 3D Reference Object

   57 citations · 2021
2. 2
   Collaborative Visual SLAM Using Compressed Feature Exchange

   41 citations · 2018
3. 3
   On the Minimization of Glass-to-Glass and Glass-to-Algorithm Delay in Video Communication

   40 citations · 2017
4. 4
   Context-Aware Task Migration for HART-Centric Collaboration over FiWi Based Tactile Internet Infrastructures

   34 citations · 2018
5. 5
   Efficient Map Compression for Collaborative Visual SLAM

   30 citations · 2018
6. 6
   Reconstruction of transparent objects in unstructured scenes with a depth camera

   28 citations · 2013
7. 7
   Selection and Compression of Local Binary Features for Remote Visual SLAM

   26 citations · 2018
8. 8
   Minimal Work: A Grasp Quality Metric for Deformable Hollow Objects

   25 citations · 2020
9. 9
   Navigation and Manipulation Planning Using a Visuo-Haptic Sensor on a Mobile Platform

   22 citations · 2014
10. 10
    Skill-CPD: Real-time Skill Refinement for Shared Autonomy in Manipulator Teleoperation

    12 citations · 2022

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links