Welcome to my personal research site. Since April 2023, I'm a postdoc at the Advanced Quantum Architecture (AQUA) Lab part of EPFL's Institute of Electrical and Micro Engineering, where my group currently conducts research at the intersection of robotics, quantum imaging, and space. My main line of research revolves around the study of innovative quantum-driven autonomous navigation pipelines and robotic mobility solutions based on the use of single-photon detectors. Our goal is to enable mobile robotic systems to more efficiently, reliably, and rapidly characterize unstructured, dynamic, and visually degraded environments with minimal human intervention.
In July 2022, I founded HERMES, an international working group formed by researchers and scientists working on heterogeneous multirobot cooperation for exploration and science in extreme environments. We hosted our first workshop at ICRA 2023 in London, UK.
I'm currently also directing and teaching the Spacecraft Design (EE584) and Concurrent Engineering of Space Missions (ENG411) master's level courses at EPFL.

• CV
• Long Biography

Active Research Lines

Selected Publications

Enabling Faster Locomotion of Planetary Rovers with a Mechanically-Hybrid Suspension

D. Rodríguez-Martínez*, K. Uno*, K. Sawa, M. Uda, G. Kudo, G. Hernan Diaz, A. Umemura, S. Santra, K.Yoshida

IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L), 9(1), 619-626, Jan 2024

* indicates equal contribution and shared authorship.

A lunar reconnaissance drone for cooperative exploration and high-resolution mapping of extreme locations

R. Tonasso, D. Tataru, H. Rauch, V. Pozsgay, T. Pfeiffer, E. Uythoven, D. Rodríguez-Martínez

Acta Astronautica, 218, 1-17, May 2024

High-speed mobility in planetary surfaces: a technical review

D. Rodríguez-Martínez, M. Van Winnendael, K. Yoshida

Journal of Field Robotics, 36(8), 1436-1455, 2019

The effects of increasing velocity on the tractive performance of planetary rovers

D. Rodríguez-Martínez, F. Buse, M. Van Winnendael, K. Yoshida

15th ISTVS Conference, Prague, Czech Republic, 2019. (best paper of the conference award) [Video]

• Full Publication List

Contact

Address EPFL AVP-CP ESC, PPH 335, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
Email david (dot) rodriguez (at) epfl (dot) ch

For EPFL students

• If you are master's student at EPFL interested in conducting a semester, minor, or master's thesis in our lab, check the list of available projects here. For a list of available projects under my supervision check here.

PhD and Postdoc applications

• Check all our open positions here.
• Be aware that enrollment in a Doctoral Program at EPFL is mandatory and admission into a program is given by each program evaluation committee independent of our laboratory. Recommended doctoral programs include EDRS, EDMI, EDEE, EDIC, and EDPO.

Scholarship applications

• In the event that no open positions are available in our lab, I often assist international students interested in conducting an internship, master's, or PhD in my group with their applications to a number of scholarship programs (e.g., EPFL Excellence Fellowships and Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships).
• Note that our lab does not offer any scholarships.
• If interested, send me an email using "Scholarship Application" as the email subject, including the following information: 1) your CV, 2) targeted scholarship program with due dates for submission of your application and earliest starting date if successful, 3) a short description (250-500 words) of the project you would like to conduct, and 4) comments on your experience/prior work related to the project.

Blog

• [August 2024] My experience as a postdoc at EPFL (Switzerland)
• [May 2024] The lost utility of academic conferences
• [May 2024] Not your lab, not your monkeys
• [July 2020] Do the opposite