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Prem Rachakonda (Fed)

Mechanical Engineer

Prem Rachakonda is a mechanical engineer in the Perception Performance for Robotic Systems Project in the Intelligent Systems Division at NIST. His work primarily addresses technical and standardization activities for industrial metrology, automation, autonomous vehicle perception, and strategic planning. His current research efforts are focused on developing the necessary measurement science to verify and validate 3D vision systems used for manufacturing automation, and autonomous vehicle applications. Additionally, he has previously worked on developing standards for 3D lidars and developing technology for achieving nanoscale measurements. He worked on developing software, hardware, artifacts, and procedures for these projects. His research efforts are now part of an ASTM standard adopted by measurement software and hardware companies.

Standards development related roles:

• Chair - ASTM E57.25 on Autonomous Road Vehicle Systems
• Member of US Technical advisory group for ISO Automotive Lidar Working Group
• Liaison - SAE Active Safety System Lidar Performance Task Force 
• Member of ASTM E57 subcommittee on Industrial 3D Machine Vision Systems
• Technical Lead of ASTM WK73176 on 3D Perception Systems’ Spatial Resolution

Editorial roles:

• Associate editor: Measurement/Sensors
• Lead Editor: Handbook of Metrology/Springer
• Board of editors: Journal of Research at NIST
• Guest editor: Special Issue on Uncertainty Evaluation/Springer

Other roles:

• Member of NCST (National Construction Safety Team)
• Member of the Board - NIST Colloquium Series (FY24)

Awards

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. 

Publications

Workshop Report: Standards and Performance Metrics for On-Road Autonomous Vehicles

Author(s)
Craig I. Schlenoff, Suzanne Lightman, Vinh Nguyen, Prem Rachakonda, Tao Zhang, Omar Aboul-Enein, Nicholas Barbosa, C Cameron Miller, Daniel Sawyer, Ann Virts
On-road autonomous vehicles are expected to significantly influence key aspects of everyday life. However, these complex systems can pose a safety risk in the
Created October 9, 2019, Updated December 8, 2023