Pengcheng Frank Cao

“I wished to examine into all that concerns heaven and man, to penetrate the changes of the past and present, completing all as the work of one family.” – Sima Qian (司马迁)

I am a Robotics Engineer at Trubot Technology, where I work on data center robotics and AI infrastructure automation. I received my Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from UC San Diego in 2023 — my doctoral research focused on designing, optimizing, and controlling fully-actuated multirotor UAVs for search-and-rescue missions in GPS-denied indoor environments. Before joining Trubot, I was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Idaho National Laboratory, working on robotics and digital twins for radioactive environments.

I am passionate about solving complex engineering problems that have real-world applications and impact. My research interests span robotics, controls, and AI — from UAV trajectory optimization and data-driven stability analysis to radiation-aware robot perception and planning for nuclear environments.

I have a strong background and experience in multiple engineering disciplines, including robotics, controls, embedded systems, manufacturing, computer vision, and deep learning. I have worked as a project engineer, a research intern, and an instructor in various settings, applying and enhancing my skills in Solidworks, AutoCAD, Matlab, Simulink, ROS, Python, Java, C, C++, and C#. I also have a master’s degree in Computer Science (online) from Arizona State University, and I speak three languages: Chinese, English, and German. I am always eager to learn new technologies and tools, and to collaborate with diverse and talented teams.