About
Hello, world! I am Nicholas Gurnard, a Robotics MSE at the University of Pennsylvania. My concentration at Penn focuses on control, motion planning, and optimization for robotic systems. Previously, I obtained my BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Irvine in 2021. During my undergrad, I concentrated in the design of robotic mechanical systems. In the Fall of 2019, I was an exchange student at Lund University in Sweden.
What budding minds may lack in experience, they make up for in drive and in optimism.
Professional Interests
Robot autonomy platforms and engineering teams are often divided into hardware and software, creating a distinct rift between the two. Foundational components to each are available and well studied, including (and not limited to) Machine Perception, Planning, Control, and State Estimation on the software side, and Mechanical Design, Sensor Design, Dynamics, and Hardware Test on the hardware side. The challenge of today is largely due to integration, which is often labor intensive and difficult. As I progress as a roboticist and engineer, the more I work to dissipate the barrier between the seemingly distinct sides, since any autonomy platform relies equally on both and one cannot function without the other.
I have the strongest interest in the subdisciplines of control, motion planning, and optimization. Due to my love of learning new things, I have many other projects within robotics including state estimation, hardware design, simulation and modeling, perception, and more. Many of these projects can be found on the experience page. Above all, I truly enjoy getting all of the above to work together, as a whole.