WVU student’s robotics research brings unmanned vehicles to Morgantown trails
Camndon Reed, a WVU undergraduate student majoring in robotics engineering and mathematics, traveled to China to present his original research on autonomous vehicles that can navigate forest terrain without human supervision. (Submitted Photo)
For trailblazing robots and West Virginia University students alike, the first step is sometimes the hardest.
That was the case for Camndon Reed, a robotics engineering and mathematics major from Watertown, Massachusetts, who designs autonomous robots that navigate hiking trails.
“I wish I had always known that the best way to get started is simply to begin,” Reed said. “You don’t need to wait for the perfect idea or a class on a subject — just start experimenting.”
Reed actually started college twice.
Originally an undergraduate at James Madison University, he came to the WVU Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources in Morgantown during the summer of 2024 to participate in a summer Research Experience for Undergraduates site funded by the National Science Foundation.
Camndon Reed transferred to WVU because he wanted to do cutting-edge research with real-world impact. (WVU Photo/Zakariah Issah)
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Working with Yu Gu, the MMAE Academy of Distinguished Alumni Professor in the Department of Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering, Reed performed experimental research responding to the challenges of using mobile robotics for field applications within rural environments like Appalachia’s dense forests.
Reed got “hooked” on the experience, he said, and by the time fall 2025 rolled around, he had transferred to WVU to become a full-time Mountaineer.
Again, the beginning was the hardest.
“Robotics is a highly technical field, and at first it was difficult to navigate. What helped me push through was the support I received from graduate students in the Interactive Robotics Lab and my mentor, Dr. Gu. Their guidance kept me focused, and I built the confidence to tackle complex problems.”
Camndon Reed’s research helps mobile robots analyze trail images, using texture and color to differentiate between trail, rocks and vegetation. (Submitted Photo)
Once Reed got going, it was full speed ahead for his research, which focuses on smoothing the road bumps autonomous robots experience in wooded environments with irregular terrain and unpredictable obstacles, like trails.
“Hiking trails are our gateways to nature,” Reed said. “The U.S. has over 193,500 miles of trails on federal lands alone. More than 58 million Americans hiked in 2021, and it’s growing in popularity. But hiking trails present problems for land managers, conservationists and emergency responders, so we developed a system that can help a robot navigate trail systems on its own.”
He explained that most autonomous navigation systems are designed for structured urban environments with well-defined roadways and clear landmarks. Hiking trails, on the other hand, include thick wooded areas as well as sparse clearings, complicating the system’s ability to detect different features and potentially affecting sensor performance over time. And thanks to weather, seasons and natural processes like erosion and plant growth, trails are an ever-changing landscape.
The navigation systems WVU robotics engineering students like Camndon Reed design could help autonomous wheeled vehicles travel hiking trails on behalf of land managers, conservationists and emergency responders. (Submitted Photo)
“We try to balance three key factors — the unmanned vehicle’s adherence to the trail, its identification of off-trail shortcuts and its avoidance of hazards,” he said. “The eventual goal is to support rural communities with trail maintenance, environmental monitoring and emergency response.”
Reed’s autonomous navigation system is trained on data specific to the trails at the WVU Core Arboretum, a public botanical garden and an old-growth forest preserve adjacent to the WVU Hope Coliseum.
The system works by analyzing trail images, labeling different patches of ground — as trail, rocks or vegetation, for instance — then assigning each label a “traversability cost” indicating how hard it is to navigate. Texture and color help it differentiate between the different types of terrain.
In October 2025, Reed traveled to Hangzhou, China, for the prestigious peer-reviewed IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, where his paper on the trail navigation research, submitted along with scores of other papers from across the globe, had been named a Best Paper Application Finalist.
“I’ve always been passionate about math and technology — but I’d struggled to find a real-world application that interested me,” he said.
“At WVU, robotics combines hardware, software and problem-solving to create intelligent machines. I get hands-on experience, faculty support and incredible opportunities like the University Rover Challenge Team. Here, I can learn to develop autonomous systems that make people’s everyday lives easier and safer.”
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