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About

S. Coenen’s research lies at the intersection of mobile robotics, motion planning, and sensing in extreme environments. Their most influential work addresses the fundamental challenge of how robots navigate safely and efficiently, particularly in complex domestic settings. Coenen introduced a novel three-dimensional volumetric representation based on the OctoMap framework, which probabilistically fuses sensor data to assess occupancy and collision risk, enabling safer autonomous navigation in cluttered homes. This contribution is complemented by a widely-cited guide to motion planning for mobile robots (2012, 11 citations) and a method for selecting optimal combinations of planning algorithms (2016, 21 citations), providing a systematic approach to a traditionally ad-hoc process. Beyond domestic robotics, Coenen has made pioneering contributions to nuclear robotics, demonstrating the feasibility of optical sensing in highly radioactive environments (1993, 12 citations; 2003, 2 citations). Their experimental work on gamma irradiation of optical fibers and components remains critical for deploying robots in nuclear repair and dismantling tasks. With a career spanning both theoretical frameworks and high-stakes applications, Coenen’s work has shaped how robots perceive and move through the world—from our living rooms to the heart of nuclear facilities.