Ngoc Thinh Nguyen

About

Ngoc Thinh Nguyen is a robotics researcher whose work centers on safe and optimal path planning for autonomous mobile robots, with a particular focus on B-spline curves and polytopic constraint formulations. His most influential contribution is a B-spline path planner that guarantees safe navigation through non-convex workspaces by leveraging the local convexity property of B-splines, a paper that has garnered 25 citations. Building on this, he developed the "Navigation with Polytopes" toolbox (11 citations), which provides a complete pipeline from grid map conversion to optimal corridor search and safe B-spline planning. Nguyen also advanced model predictive control (MPC) by introducing a tightening polytopic constraint that encourages distance from obstacle boundaries, and explored computed-torque control for stabilizing nonlinear MPC schemes. More recently, he has investigated deep reinforcement learning for mapless navigation in intralogistics and addressed practical challenges in robotic ultrasound by analyzing probe holder geometries to improve reachability. His work bridges theoretical control methods with real-world robotic applications, making navigation both provably safe and computationally efficient.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   B-spline path planner for safe navigation of mobile robots

   25 citations · 2021
2. 2
   Navigation with Polytopes: A Toolbox for Optimal Path Planning with Polytope Maps and B-spline Curves

   11 citations · 2023
3. 3
   Tightening polytopic constraint in MPC designs for mobile robot navigation

   4 citations · 2021
4. 4
   On the use of a computed-torque control law for the terminal region of an NMPC scheme

   3 citations · 2019
5. 5
   Deep Reinforcement Learning for Mapless Navigation of Autonomous Mobile Robot

   2 citations · 2023
6. 6
   Increasing Reachability in Robotic Ultrasound Through Base Placement and Tool Design

   1 citations · 2024

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links