Noel duToit
1200 E. California Blvd.
M/C 104-44
Pasadena, CA 91106
Office: Thomas 310B - (626) 395-4165
Lab: Thomas 0014 - (626) 395-4417

My Other Stuff:
Main Page
Research Page
Publications
My Photo Album
Life before Caltech
Links

I am a graduate student in Mechanical Engineering at Caltech. My current advisor is Prof. Joel Burdick. I started at Caltech in August 2005.

I am interested in controls, robotics, and planning. The topic of my thesis is roughly high-level, long-term autonomy and planning. I am currently working on the DARPA Grand Challenge, which means that I am trying to get an autonomous vehicle drive in an urban environment. I am working on the planning stack, and more specifically, the layer that plans a corridor through the environment, and ensures that traffic rules are obeyed. For more info, check out my research page.

I recently switched from the enticing fields of structures, dynamics, and active materials as applied to MEMS. This section will be updated as soon as I figure out what I am doing - hopefully before I graduate. Check out the publications link for my recent (and not so relevant) publications.

As for life before Caltech, I am a native South African (map) and yes, that is a country at the southern tip of Africa. I have been in the US as a graduate student since Aug 2003. I graduated from MIT in May 2005 with a Master of Science (S.M.) degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics under the guidance of Prof. Brian Wardle. Check out the Life before Caltech link for more info.