Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Esteban Clua is a leading researcher at the intersection of autonomous robotics, computer vision, and sustainable marine technology. His work is defined by a dual focus: advancing the perceptual capabilities of robotic systems and developing energy-autonomous platforms for environmental monitoring. In computer vision, Clua introduced a versatile method for estimating depth data errors in RGB-D sensors—a foundational contribution that has garnered 23 citations and improved the reliability of 3D sensing for robotics. He also pioneered dynamic multifoveated vision structures, enabling real-time processing by focusing computational resources on multiple regions of interest simultaneously, a technique critical for tracking and navigation tasks. Clua’s most impactful work lies in autonomous sailing. He co-developed the N-Boat and F-Boat twins, robotic sailboats designed for long-endurance sea monitoring missions with energy self-generation capabilities—a sustainable solution recognized with 14 citations. His creation of Yara, an ocean virtual environment for testing unmanned surface vessels, provides a critical simulation platform for the research community. Clua has also advanced trajectory planning for sailboat robots, comparing deep reinforcement learning with classical methods to navigate dynamic maritime conditions. Through these contributions, Clua is shaping a future where robots can explore and protect our oceans with unprecedented autonomy and efficiency.