Rate My Professor Marc Hanheide

Marc Hanheide is a Professor of Intelligent Robotics & Interactive Systems in the School of Computer Science at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom. He obtained his Diploma in Computer Science and PhD (Dr.-Ing.) in Computer Science from Bielefeld University, Germany, completing his doctorate in 2006 with a thesis titled 'A cognitive ego-vision system for interactive assistance.' Following his PhD, he held research positions at Bielefeld University before joining the University of Lincoln, advancing through roles including Reader to his current professorship.

As Director of the Lincoln Centre for Autonomous Systems (L-CAS), Professor Hanheide leads a team of researchers developing advanced autonomous systems. He also directs the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Agri-Food Robotics (AgriFoRwArdS), promoting interdisciplinary training in agricultural robotics. His research specializations include autonomous robots, human-robot interaction, interaction-enabling technologies, system architectures, and long-term robotic autonomy, with applications in agriculture such as soft fruit production and navigation in horticultural environments. Key projects involve continuous engagement assessment from a robot's viewpoint, spatial context-aware person-following for domestic robots, assuring safe autonomy in farming, and visual teach-and-generalize methods for robotic navigation.

Prominent publications encompass 'Agricultural robotics: the future of robotic agriculture' (Duckett et al., 2018), 'Artificial intelligence for long-term robot autonomy: A survey' (Kunze et al., 2018), 'The STRANDS project: Long-term autonomy in everyday environments' (Hawes et al., 2017), 'Robot task planning and explanation in open and uncertain worlds' (Hanheide et al., 2017), 'Are You Still With Me? Continuous Engagement Assessment From a Robot’s Point of View' (Del Duchetto et al., 2020), and 'Human-oriented interaction with an anthropomorphic robot' (Spexard et al., 2006). With approximately 200 publications, over 3,500 citations, his contributions shape AI and robotics for sustained real-world deployment. He participates in public outreach through BBC Countryfile (2021), STEM Christmas Lectures (2022), and events like Fruit Focus (2021), and serves on organizing committees for Human-Robot Interaction conferences.