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About

Keith Buhagiar is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of robotics, underwater mapping, and archaeology. His primary research areas include autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) navigation, simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) in confined subterranean environments, and the application of robotic systems to cultural heritage preservation. Buhagiar’s major contribution is the development and field deployment of specialized underwater robots equipped with sonar and smart tethers to explore and map ancient water cisterns dating back to 300 B.C. beneath Malta and Gozo. His work on the Malta Cistern Mapping Project, documented across multiple highly cited papers, demonstrated novel techniques for robot localization and mapping within complex, dark, and narrow tunnel systems—environments inaccessible to human divers. His most influential work, “The Malta cistern mapping project: Underwater robot mapping and localization within ancient tunnel systems” (2010), has garnered 42 citations, while his foundational 2008 paper has 37 citations. These expeditions represent notable achievements in applying engineering solutions to solve archaeological challenges, creating the first accurate maps of these historically significant underground water systems. Buhagiar’s research has established a methodological framework for robotic exploration of subterranean aquatic heritage sites worldwide.