Professor David Mindell Joins Aurora as Scholar-in-Residence

Aurora Flight Sciences announced today that Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor David Mindell will be a scholar-in-residence at Aurora during the next year. Professor Mindell will work on several research projects at Aurora’s R&D Center during his sabbatical from MIT.

Professor Mindell is the Dibner Professor of the History of Engineering and Manufacturing, and Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT. He is the former department head of MIT’s Program on Science, Technology, and Society (STS). He is an expert on the history and technology of human/machine relationships in complex technological systems.

Mindell’s engineering work has been primarily in the field of deep ocean robotics and archaeology, focusing on precision control systems for remotely operated vehicles. He is founder and director of MIT’s “DeepArch” research group in technology, archaeology, and the deep sea, which laid the foundations for discovering and excavating ancient shipwrecks with remote vehicles. Professor Mindell has published several books on the interactions of humans and technology, including his recent book “Digital Apollo.” He has degrees in Electrical Engineering and Literature from Yale University, and a doctorate in the history of technology from MIT.

Mindell’s current research involves the new MIT Laboratory for Automation, Robotics, and Society, which examines human/machine relationships in extreme environments, including spaceflight, military robotics, undersea exploration, aviation, and surgery, with a goal of modeling networks of humans and machines. While at Aurora he will be investigating the design, operations, and applications of unmanned aircraft systems including human-machine interfaces for varying levels of autonomy.

“We are very excited that David Mindell will join Aurora for the next year,” said Aurora CEO John Langford. “We look forward to his contributions in bringing new levels of effective automation and improved human-machine interfaces to Aurora’s products.”