Prem Rachakonda (Fed)

Prem Rachakonda is a Mechanical Engineer in the Intelligent Systems Division at NIST. His work focuses on the verification and validation of 3D vision and perception systems for robotics, manufacturing, and autonomous vehicles.

Prem has made significant contributions to semiconductor metrology and the development of comprehensive standards for 3D vision systems. His technical work encompasses the development of specialized software, hardware, calibration artifacts, and test procedures, which have ensured the accuracy and reliability of 3D sensing technologies. Notably, his research and leadership in ASTM working groups led to the establishment of the standard for 3D imaging systems, which has been adopted by major software and metrology equipment vendors.

Standards development-related roles:

• Member of ASTM E57 subcommittee on Industrial 3D Machine Vision Systems
• Technical Lead of ASTM WK73176 on 3D Perception Systems’ Spatial Resolution
• Member of US Technical advisory group for ISO Automotive Lidar Working Group (ISO/AWI 13228)
• Liaison -- SAE Active Safety System Lidar Performance Task Force
• Member of NCST (National Construction Safety Team)

Editorial & other roles:

• Associate Editor: Measurement/Sensors
• Member of the editorial board: Intl. Journal of Metrology and Quality Engineering
• Member of the program committee: SPIE Dimensional Optical Metrology and Inspection for Practical Applications XI

Previous roles:

• Technical Lead: NIST Emerging technology standards engagement project (Lidar performance)
• Board of Editors: Journal of Research at NIST
• Guest Editor: Special Issue on Uncertainty Evaluation/Springer
• Lead Editor: Handbook of Metrology/Springer
• Member of the Board - NIST Colloquium Series (FY24)
• Member of the International Advisory Committee for 11th and 12th International conferences on Advances in Metrology (2023-2025)

• 2026 Leadership Award in Engineering Sciences from Washington Academy of Sciences: For profound and transformative research in 3D sensing and metrology, outstanding leadership in establishing globally adopted industry standards, and dedication to measurement science.
• 2025 EL Special Service Award: For planning and successfully implementing a large exhibitor booth at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) in Atlanta, GA (2025) for the Measurement Science for Robotics and Autonomous Systems (MSRAS) Program.
• 2025 EL Mentoring  Award: For mentoring a young engineer in order to help them succeed in their research, career advancement and life goals.
• 2022 EL Special Act Award: The team was recognized for their outstanding performance in organization and execution of critical tasks in FY22 to support the NCST investigation into the collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium building.
• 2018 Edward Bennet Rosa Award: The team was recognized for outstanding leadership and technical excellence in initiating and developing performance test methods that have been adopted as international standards for 3D imaging systems used in a wide range of critical applications.