Douglas A. Mcaffee

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

Papers

Total Citations

295

H-Index

About

Douglas A. Mcaffee is a pioneering figure in the field of telerobotics and remote manipulation, with a career spanning from foundational force-reflecting teleoperation to applied robotics for hazardous environments. His most influential contribution is the development of a six-axis, high-fidelity force-reflecting teleoperator system, detailed in his 1991 paper (291 citations). This work achieved an exceptionally high sampling rate of 1000 Hz, enabling realistic haptic feedback between a dissimilar cable-driven master controller and a PUMA 560 slave robot—a landmark achievement in real-time distributed control. Mcaffee also applied his expertise to critical national infrastructure, contributing to the Yucca Mountain Project by conceptualizing robotic and remote handling systems for the disposal of high-level nuclear waste. Demonstrating versatility, he engineered a robotic lighting system with four actuated degrees-of-freedom for solar illumination simulation, showcasing his ability to solve complex kinematic and control challenges. Mcaffee’s work bridges theoretical advances in real-time control with practical, high-stakes applications, cementing his legacy in both academic research and industrial robotics.