Sarah Edwards

About

Sarah Edwards is a pioneering researcher in the intersection of cloud computing, high-speed networking, and industrial robotics. Her work focuses on enabling geographically unconstrained control of industrial robots through advanced network architectures, including software-defined networking (SDN) and edge computing. Edwards’s most cited paper (2017, 19 citations) demonstrates a cloud robotics application for surface blending, leveraging ROS libraries over high-speed wide-area networks. She further advanced this field with a landmark 2016 study (10 citations) that achieved the first demonstration of remote industrial robot control using SDN-based optical transport and edge compute, proving that cloud/edge technology significantly enhances robot controllability. These contributions are foundational to the emerging discipline of cloud robotics, addressing critical challenges in latency, reliability, and real-time control for manufacturing. Edwards’s work has direct implications for smart factories and Industry 4.0, where distributed, networked robotic systems are essential. Her research not only pushes the boundaries of robotic autonomy but also demonstrates practical, scalable solutions for industrial automation, making her a key figure in bridging networking and robotics.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   An Industrial Robotics Application with Cloud Computing and High-Speed Networking

   19 citations · 2017
2. 2
   First demonstration of geographically unconstrained control of an industrial robot by jointly employing SDN-based optical transport networks and edge compute

   10 citations · 2016

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links