Dirk van der Merwe, currently the Autonomous Robotics Lead at DEKA Research & Development, brings over 20 years of experience at the intersection of robotics, medical devices and space exploration. With degrees in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, he began his career as an aerospace engineer, contributing to projects such as South Africa’s SUNSAT microsatellite and NASA’s CatSat under the STEDI program. At DEKA, Dirk has focused on developing control algorithms for various mobility and medical devices, including the iBOT wheelchair and the LUKE arm. He has also led teams for projects such as the DARPA Prosthetic Arm Project and the Roxo delivery robots. Dirk’s expertise encompasses perception systems; localization and path planning; integrating advanced technologies like deep learning algorithms; and LiDAR sensors. Today, he oversees all autonomous robot development at DEKA.