Davis S. Catherman
Christopher Newport University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Papers
3
Total Citations
8
H-Index
2
About
Davis S. Catherman is a robotics researcher specializing in humanoid control, collaborative manipulation, and multi-agent systems. His work bridges the gap between high-level behavior planning and low-level robotic execution, with a particular focus on flexible, finite state machine-based architectures. Catherman’s most notable contributions include the development of a finite state machine framework for collaborative manipulation using the Robot Operating System (ROS) and MoveIt!, which enhances flexible behavior execution through the FlexBE engine. He has also explored reinforcement learning for adversarial swarm dynamics, investigating decentralized control laws for multi-agent robotic teams. In a striking demonstration of humanoid capability, Catherman led work on controlling the Atlas humanoid robot to autonomously play soccer, integrating perception, locomotion, and collision-free navigation to complete core tasks like ball localization and kicking. Though his papers have accrued modest citation counts—ranging from 2 to 3—their impact lies in advancing practical, real-world implementations of complex robotic behaviors. Catherman’s research is particularly valuable for students and engineers interested in ROS-based control, humanoid autonomy, and the intersection of reinforcement learning with swarm robotics.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2Reinforcement Learning Adversarial Swarm Dynamics3 citations · 2020
- 3