Thomas Touma

Research Scientist at Caltech
  • Claim this Profile
Contact Information
us****@****om
(386) 825-5501
Location
Pasadena, Californie, États-Unis, US

Topline Score

Topline score feature will be out soon.

Bio

Generated by
Topline AI

5.0

/5.0
/ Based on 2 ratings
  • (2)
  • (0)
  • (0)
  • (0)
  • (0)

Filter reviews by:

Benjamin Morrell

Thomas and I worked together in the JPL-MIT-Caltech team in the DARPA Subterranean Challenge, where I lead the perception sub-team. Thomas was our go-to hardware person for all things electronics, mechanical, and firmware. I honestly can't think of anything Thomas can't do. We would often come to Thomas with highly ambitious hardware requests and extremely tight deadlines (even 24 hours in some circumstances). Time after time, Thomas delivered on schedule and with practical, innovative designs that proved successful in the field. His ability to rapidly complete produce prototypes from the ground-up is remarkable, and an invaluable asset to the team. Further, he is an absolute pleasure to work with, being collaborative, empathetic, and level headed in all circumstances. He regularly puts others ahead of himself for the benefit of the project. I can not recommend Thomas highly enough and hope to continue to work with him in the future.

Angel Santamaria-Navarro

I had the pleasure of working with Thomas for more than a year at NASA-JPL, within the context of DARPA Subterranean Challenge (CoSTAR team). The project we worked for required a very fast pace, highly advanced engineering solutions and scientific concepts with a technology readiness level out of reach for most institutions, either in the public or private sectors. We enrolled in one of the most challenging competitions in the world to push the boundaries of knowledge and engineering and, as a team, we did a great job. The excellence in a team is reached not only by having the most qualified team members, but also great human beings. In this sense, Thomas is the perfect team player, hard-worker and always with a smile prepared for anyone around him. He has a very good understanding of engineering problems that need to be addressed and provides creative solutions, feasible within tight deadlines.

You need to have a working account to view this content.
You need to have a working account to view this content.

Credentials

  • Safety Bootcamp
    NASA Ames Research Center

Experience

    • United States
    • Research Services
    • 700 & Above Employee
    • Research Scientist
      • déc. 2021 - - aujourd’hui

      • Developing motion planning architectures for autonomous operation of robotic manipulators on ice-worlds such as Europa & Enceladus.• Developing algorithms for autonomous fault-detection and recovery behaviors for robotic manipulators.• Design and Test of components for Mars Science Helicopter (next-gen) Mid-Air Deployment flight testbed and Jetpack. • Developing motion planning architectures for autonomous operation of robotic manipulators on ice-worlds such as Europa & Enceladus.• Developing algorithms for autonomous fault-detection and recovery behaviors for robotic manipulators.• Design and Test of components for Mars Science Helicopter (next-gen) Mid-Air Deployment flight testbed and Jetpack.

    • United States
    • Defense and Space Manufacturing
    • 700 & Above Employee
    • Robotics Engineer (Caltech Affiliate)
      • déc. 2021 - - aujourd’hui

      Artificial Intelligence Group 397K.

    • Robotics Engineer
      • juin 2019 - nov. 2021

      Overview:• R&D on autonomous quadrupeds, drones, rovers, tanks and space robots.• Designed autonomy sensor systems and rugged backpack/payloads for enabling high-level autonomy on Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot. Includes lidar, radar, infrared, RGB, IMU. • Designed payload deployment mechanisms for enabling deep-cave communication of real-time SLAM data and computer vision detection in GPS-denied environments. • End-to-end mechanical and avionics design of autonomous hybrid-drones for cave exploration. • Developed micro drones using Mars Heli chipset for long range, high-speed swarm flight. • Research on collaborative legged robots for exploring the Moon and Mars.• Field testing of autonomous robots in extreme environments including caves, mines, deserts, powerplants, caverns and superstructures located in CA, WV, PA, WA, OR, NV, KY. Selected projects: • DARPA Subterranean Challenge: 2019 (2nd place); 2020 (1st place); IROS 2020 Best Paper Award on Safety, Security, and Rescue Robotics; JPL STAR Award 2020.• (CoSTAR) Collaborative Subterranean Autonomous Resilient Robots.• (BRAILLE) Autonomous Robotic Exploration of Lava Tubes.• (NeBula) Networked Belief-aware Perceptual Autonomy Framework for Space Robotics. • Rollocopter & Drivocopter: Hybrid Aerial and Ground Mobility Systems.• Mars Dogs: Biomimetic Robots for the Exploration of Mars.

    • Autonomous Systems Researcher
      • déc. 2018 - mai 2019

      • Robotic Aerial Mobility Group 347T.• Airframe and PCB design of custom mini-drone for use in DARPA Challenge.• Embedded system integration of Snapdragon Flight Board 801 (same chipset as Mars Helicopter) on mini-drone.• Implementation of JPL Fprime spaceflight software on Snapdragon Flight Board.

    • United States
    • Aviation and Aerospace Component Manufacturing
    • 700 & Above Employee
    • Engineering & Exobiology/Astrobiology Intern
      • juin 2017 - sept. 2017

      • Adapted NASA OMEGA Life Support Systems to automate closed-loop bio-conversion processes.• Bio-reactor and electrocoagulator design for algae farming in NASA Ames Extremophiles lab.• Performed chemical composition tests on various algal-nutrition substances using centrifuge/Hach spectrophotometers. • Adapted NASA OMEGA Life Support Systems to automate closed-loop bio-conversion processes.• Bio-reactor and electrocoagulator design for algae farming in NASA Ames Extremophiles lab.• Performed chemical composition tests on various algal-nutrition substances using centrifuge/Hach spectrophotometers.

    • Australia
    • Aviation and Aerospace Component Manufacturing
    • 1 - 100 Employee
    • Cubesat Mission Operations Officer
      • févr. 2016 - août 2016

      • Mission: "Design and Launch of a Simple Small Form Factor Satellite". • Founding member of Mission Operations sector. • Involved in space operations method planning. • Mission: "Design and Launch of a Simple Small Form Factor Satellite". • Founding member of Mission Operations sector. • Involved in space operations method planning.

    • Australia
    • Higher Education
    • 700 & Above Employee
    • Graduate Teaching Assistant
      • janv. 2015 - juil. 2015

      Oversaw Master's labs: 'Materials [engineering]' and 'Mechanics & Materials'. Testing of tensile strengths and the analysis of the microstructures of steels and plastics which had undergone various treatments and forming processes. Oversaw Master's labs: 'Materials [engineering]' and 'Mechanics & Materials'. Testing of tensile strengths and the analysis of the microstructures of steels and plastics which had undergone various treatments and forming processes.

    • Australia
    • Construction
    • 700 & Above Employee
    • Student Engineer
      • 2009 - 2013

      South Morang Rail Extension and Springvale Road Rail Grade Separation Projects. Risk analysis and excavation permits. Coordinated them with external infrastructure companies (e.g. power, gas, water) which allowed engineers to excavate and work around power lines, railways, roads and earth. South Morang Rail Extension and Springvale Road Rail Grade Separation Projects. Risk analysis and excavation permits. Coordinated them with external infrastructure companies (e.g. power, gas, water) which allowed engineers to excavate and work around power lines, railways, roads and earth.

Education

  • University of Melbourne
    Bachelor's Degree, Environments (Civil Engineering)
    2010 - 2013
  • RMIT University
    Master of Engineering, (Robotics & Mechatronics)
    2018 - 2018

Community

You need to have a working account to view this content. Click here to join now