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About

David Kohanbash is a robotics researcher whose work spans extreme-terrain exploration, field robotics, and autonomous systems for real-world applications. His most impactful contribution comes from the DARPA Subterranean Challenge, where he co-authored the highly cited 2022 paper on resilient, modular subterranean exploration using teams of roving and flying robots (50 citations). This work addressed the formidable challenges of GPS-denied navigation, rough terrain, and communications in underground environments, demonstrating a comprehensive autonomy approach for search-and-rescue and disaster response. Earlier, Kohanbash contributed to lunar resource prospecting with the Scarab rover concept (22 citations), a transforming chassis designed to deploy deep coring drills and survey water ice in polar craters. He has also advanced safety architectures for autonomous agricultural vehicles (14 citations), enabling self-guided machinery for orchards and groves, and developed novel plowing techniques for rover control on extreme slopes. His work on nondestructive assay robots for decommissioning gaseous diffusion piping highlights his ability to solve critical industrial challenges. With a career focused on pushing robots into the most demanding environments—from lunar craters to subterranean tunnels—Kohanbash’s research directly impacts planetary exploration, agriculture, and hazardous site remediation.