Welcome to the

Visual and Autonomous Exploration Systems
Research Laboratory


Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Fink, FNAI, FARVO, FSPIE, FPHMS, FAIMBE, UA FdaVinci, UA FACABI, Senior IEEE, founded the Visual and Autonomous Exploration Systems Research Laboratory in 2003 at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California, USA.

Since October 2009, Dr. Fink has been an Associate Professor and the inaugural Edward & Maria Keonjian Endowed Chair in Microelectronics at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona in the Departments of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Systems & Industrial Engineering, Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering, and Ophthalmology & Vision Science. He held a Visiting Associate in Physics appointment at Caltech (2001-2016), as well as concurrent appointments as Visiting Research Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Neurological Surgery at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California (2005-2014). He was a Senior Researcher at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (2001-2009).

               


Current News

Featured on Yahoo!Life: Researchers from the University of Arizona have developed new technology that will allow flocks of robots to go house hunting on other planets. Dr. Wolfgang Fink, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at UArizona, is the lead author of a new paper, that outlines how rovers, lake landers, and even submersible vehicles could communicate with each other over a network that could greatly expand our ability to explore planets.

Prof. Wolfgang Fink honored with Special Congressional Recognition from the United States House of Representatives
December 15, 2023

Prof. Wolfgang Fink received a Special Congressional Recognition from the United States House of Representatives by the Honorable Congressman Juan Ciscomani in honor of his election by the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) to the Class of Fellows 2023.

December 12, 2023

Prof. Wolfgang Fink has been elevated to Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), Class of 2023, for having “demonstrated a highly prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on the quality of life, economic development, and welfare of society.” NAI Fellow status is nationally recognized as the highest professional distinction awarded to academic inventors. [NAI]

December 12, 2023

The National Academy of Inventors has elected two University of Arizona faculty members to its 2023 Class of Fellows. Wolfgang Fink, professor of electrical & computer engineering and biomedical engineering, and Douglas Loy, professor of materials science & engineering, each received the designation this week. NAI fellow status is the highest professional distinction awarded by the organization. [Photo Credit: Molly Condit, Great Bear Media]

October 9, 2023

Prof. Wolfgang Fink interviewed by Matt Zbrog for Online Engineering Programs on the hottest problems in Electrical Engineering. Electrical engineering is a rich field with challenges for tomorrow’s engineers. Sitting at one of the most interesting crossroads of science and technology, its territory stretches across microelectronics, energy systems, telecommunications, and robotics.

July 14, 2023

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Fink featured in the Digital Edition of Tech Briefs July 2023 (formerly NASA Tech Briefs) on the "Hansel & Gretel Breadcrumb"-inspired, patent-pending Dynamically Deployed Communication Network (DDCN) paradigm, using mesh topology, for planetary subsurface exploration as well as the scouting out of underground habitats for astronauts.