Papers
9
Total Citations
168
H-Index
6
About
Benjamin Tam is a robotics researcher whose work pushes the boundaries of autonomous exploration in the world’s most challenging environments. His primary research areas include legged robotics, heterogeneous multi-robot systems, and human-robot interaction for extreme terrain. Tam is best known for his pivotal role in Team CSIRO Data61’s success at the DARPA Subterranean Challenge, where he helped develop a heterogeneous team of ground and aerial robots that tied for the top score. This work, detailed in his most-cited paper (97 citations), demonstrated how balancing autonomy with human oversight can enable robots to navigate dangerous, unstructured underground spaces. He also led the design of the Multilegged Autonomous eXplorer (MAX), an ultralight six-legged robot for complex terrain, and developed OpenSHC, an open-source controller that makes multilegged robot locomotion more accessible to the research community. His contributions extend to fall avoidance and recovery for bipedal robots, as well as augmented telepresence for remote inspection. With over 160 citations across his publications, Tam’s work has directly advanced the practical deployment of legged robots in real-world search-and-rescue and industrial inspection scenarios.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2The Multilegged Autonomous eXplorer (MAX)23 citations · 2017
- 3Fall avoidance and recovery for bipedal robots using walking sticks10 citations · 2016
- 4OpenSHC: A Versatile Multilegged Robot Controller9 citations · 2020
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- 6
- 7Bruce -- Design and Development of a Dynamic Hexapod Robot6 citations · 2020
- 8Autonomous Obstacle Legipulation with a Hexapod Robot4 citations · 2020
- 9Augmented Telepresence for Remote Inspection with Legged Robots3 citations · 2017