Abstract: Chuck has been building and deploying robots in the field for the past 40 years.  In this retrospective he will touch on the robots, people and experiences that have been part of the journey.  From the early days in the 1980s with the Three Mile Island nuclear robots and the first outdoor autonomy robots Terregator and Navlab.  Through the 1990s with RedZone Robotics and nuclear robots plus the Dante volcanic explorer robot at CMU.  Transitioning back to CMU and the past 20 years of Field Robots.  The skills that are needed, lessons learned, achievements and great people through the decades.

Chuck Whittaker, Senior Field Robotics Specialist at Carnegie Mellon University.

2004 -2024 Field Robotic Specialist CMU, Field Robotics Center, Robotics Institute

2002 – 2004 Independent Robotic Contractor

1988 – 2002 Technical Manager RedZone Robotics

1985 – 1988 Technician CMU Civil Engineering and Robotics Institue

1977 – 1985 Mining Engineer PBS Coals / Mincorp

1974 – 1978 BS Civil Engineering University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown