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Professor Tim Barfoot of the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS) has been elected a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Robotics and Automation Society, for contributions to mobile robot navigation.

 “As a kid building my first robots of out Lego, I could never have imagined where this field and career would take me,” said Barfoot, who is a double alumnus of the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. “It’s been a lot of fun so far and I’m excited to see where robotics goes next.  

“I would like to thank all those that helped me along the way through Engineering Science, MDA, and UTIAS, and I would like to dedicate this honour to another IEEE Fellow, Professor Bruce Francis (1947-2018), who served as an influential mentor to me,” he said.

Barfoot’s research focuses on the visual navigation of mobile robots. Such robots are used in many different sectors, including transportation, planetary exploration, mining, warehouses, offices, and military applications.

“Training robots to navigate safely and autonomously is among the most complex engineering challenges of our time, and Professor Barfoot’s embodies the world-leading advances we are making in this area,” said Chris Damaren, director of UTIAS. 

“On behalf of the entire Institute, I warmly congratulate him on this well-deserved honour.”