Max Donath
Emeritus Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering
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Max Donath
Emeritus Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering
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Emeritus Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Contact
Emeritus Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Given the challenges of winter in Minnesota, Max Donath has been interested in how the fusion of high-accuracy GNSS and LIDAR facilitates autonomous navigation on snow-covered sidewalks in urban environments. Applications include autonomous navigation for wheelchairs, package delivery vehicle platforms, and snow clearing of sidewalks. He and his group are also working on a third-generation human-machine interface to provide improved situation awareness for snowplow operators who must clear roads under white-out conditions. This driver-assist system is presently undergoing field operational tests at nine sites across the state.
On the teaching front, he and a team of students have developed an instructional robotics laboratory designed to educate engineers about the design, control, and programming of robot manipulators and collaborative robots (cobots).
Learn more about the snowplow driver assist system in this video:
Labs
HumanFIRST Laboratory
ME Robotics Laboratory
Ph.D. 1978, Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
S.M. 1974, Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
B. Eng. 1972, Mechanical Engineering, McGill University
Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, 1990-2025
Director, Roadway Safety Institute, University of Minnesota, 2013-2019
Director, Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute (ITS Institute), University of Minnesota, 1997-2013
Director, Center for Advanced Manufacturing, Design and Control, University of Minnesota, 1992-1997
Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, 1984-1990
Visiting Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, 1986-1987
Research Biomedical Engineer, Veterans Administration Rehabilitation Research and
Development Center, Palo Alto, CA, 1986-87
Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, 1978-1984
• B. Davis and M. Donath, “Development of a Sensor Platform for High Accuracy Mapping of Roadway Lane Markings,” Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2551, pp. 45-51, 2016.
• J. I. Creaser, C. J. Edwards, N. L. Morris and M. Donath, “Are cellular phone blocking applications effective for novice teen drivers?” Journal of Safety Research, Volume 54, September 2015.
• L. Phillips, P. Hooge, T. Meier, R. Manning, J. Hallo, R. Mace, T. Morris, J. Hourdos and M. Donath, “An integrated study of road capacity in Denali National Park,”(pp.205-223) in R. Manning, S. Lawson, P. Newman, J. Hallo and C. Monz (ed.), Sustainable Transportation in National Parks, University Press of New England, 2014.
• E. Becic, M.P. Manser, C. Drucker, and M. Donath, “Aging and the Impact of Distraction on an Intersection Crossing Assist System,” Accident Analysis and Prevention, 50, 968-974, 2013.
• E. Becic, M. Manser, J. Creaser, and M. Donath, “Intersection crossing assist system: Transition from a road-side to an in-vehicle system,” Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behavior, 15(5), 544-555, 2012.