Fred Rothganger

University of Illinois Chicago, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Sandia National Laboratories California

Papers

Total Citations

173

H-Index

About

Fred Rothganger’s research lies at the intersection of robotics, motion planning, and multi-agent manipulation, with a particular focus on the geometric and algorithmic challenges of cooperative object handling. His most influential work, “Motion planning for disc-shaped robots pushing a polygonal object in the plane” (2002, 77 citations), introduces the concept of maximal independent capture discs (MICaDs) to enable three disc-shaped robots to manipulate objects while navigating obstacles. This foundational contribution is extended in his 2007 paper “Capturing a Convex Object With Three Discs” (41 citations), where he characterizes capture regions that prevent convex objects from escaping, offering rigorous geometric solutions for multi-robot grasping. Rothganger also ventures into biologically inspired control with “Model-Free Learning and Control in a Mobile Robot” (2009, 32 citations), presenting S-learning, a model-free algorithm that allows a Surveyor SRV-1 robot to learn environmental structure and achieve goals autonomously. His work has garnered over 170 citations, demonstrating its enduring relevance in robotics and automation. Rothganger’s contributions are notable for bridging theoretical geometry with practical implementation, as seen in his 2002 planner prototype, making him a key figure in cooperative manipulation and autonomous learning systems.