About Mark

SEQSENSE, Japan

Here I help develop robotics software engineer for an autonomous indoor security robot. The company is developing these patrol robots to supplement the role of security guards working in large office complexes in Japan. While working here I'm involved with creating simulation environments in Gazebo, creating and maintaining accurate URDF models of the robots, improving SLAM based map generation, and general development of the overall system. Additionally, I'm write documentation of various parts of the system.

SQ2 patrolling office blocks

SQ2 Security Patrol Robot under development

Robotics Plus, New Zealand

Previously, I spent four years as a post-doctoral researcher at Robotics Plus, a growing start-up company developing robotics for horticulture. There, I was mostly involved with the development of an autonomous vehicle capable of self-driving in kiwifruit orchards. This environment is particularly challenging due to an inability to reliably receive GNSS signals. This means autonomous vehicles must use perception based sensors such as LiDAR and cameras. Other projects I was involved with there were a robotic kiwifruit harvesting system and a targeted kiwifruit pollination system. Both used machine vision and deep learning to detect fuit or flowers. In the case of the harvester, four robotic arms were coordinated to harvest detected fruit. In the case of the pollinator, a height adjustable spray boom would deliver a precise dosage of pollen to individual flowers.

That role was varied and involved team leadership, mechanical design (Solidworks), machine vision (OpenCV), writing and debugging ROS based software, designing PCBs and programming embedded devices (STM32), integrating and tuning SLAM packages (Google Cartographer), point-cloud based filtering and processing (PCL Library), and training and integrating deep neural networks (TensorFlow & Caffe).

Autonomous Vehicle

Automated Pollination using Machine Vision & Deep Neural Networks

Kiwifruit harvesting with multiple, independent, robotic arms.

Publications & Presentations:

• Mark Hedley Jones, Jamie Bell, Daniel Dredge, Matthew Seabright, Alistair Scarfe, Mike Duke, Bruce MacDonald (2019). Design and Testing of a Heavy-Duty Platform for Autonomous Navigation in Kiwifruit Orchards. Biosystems Engineering
• Henry Williams, Mahla Nejati, Salome Hussein, Nicky Penhall, Jong Yoon Lim, Mark Hedley Jones, Jamie Bell, Ho Seok Ahn, Stuart Bradley, Peter Schaare, Paul Martinsen, Mohammad Alomar, Purak Patel, Matthew Seabright, Mike Duke, Alistair Scarfe, Bruce MacDonald (2019). Autonomous pollination of individual kiwifruit flowers: Toward a robotic kiwifruit pollinator. Journal of Field Robotics.
• Henry Williams, Canaan Ting, Mahla Nejati, Mark Hedley Jones, Nicky Penhall, JongYoon Lim, Matthew Seabright, Jamie Bell, Ho Seok Ahn, Alistair Scarfe, Mike Duke, and Bruce MacDonald (2019). Improvements to and large‐scale evaluation of a robotic kiwifruit harvester. Journal of Field Robotics
• Henry A.M. Williams, Mark H. Jones, Mahla Nejati, Matthew J. Seabright, Jamie Bell, Nicky D. Penhall, Josh J. Barnett, Mike D. Duke, Alistair J. Scarfe, Ho Seok Ahn, JongYoon Lim, Bruce A. MacDonald (2019). Robotic kiwifruit harvesting using machine vision, convolutional neural networks, and robotic arms. Biosystems Engineering
• Jones, M H, Seabright, M, Barnett, J, Neshausen, G, Duke, M, & Scarfe, A. (2017). An Electrically Driven, Computer Controlled Robotics Platform for Orchard Use. Poster Presentation at The International Tri-Conference for Precision Agriculture in 2017, Hamilton, New Zealand
• Seabright, M, Jones, M H, Williams, H, Nejati, M, Barnett, J, Duke, M, … MacDonald, B. (2017). Robotic harvesting of kiwifruit. Poster Presentation at The International Tri-Conference for Precision Agriculture in 2017, Hamilton, New Zealand
• Jones, M. H. (2016). The Electrical Properties of Interfacial Double Layers (Thesis, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)). University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand.
• Hicks, B. J., Jones, M. H., de Villiers, J. E., & Ling, N. (2015). Use of Electrofishing for Capturing Invasive Fish. In K. J. Collier & N. P. J. Grainger (Eds.), New Zealand Invasive Fish Management Handbook (pp. 72–79). Hamilton, New Zealand: Lake Ecosystem Restoration New Zealand (LERNZ) & Department of Conservation.
• Jones, M. H., & Scott, J. B. (2014). Feasibility of Harvesting Power To Run A Domestic Water Meter Using Streaming Cell Technology. Presented at the 21st Electronics New Zealand Conference (ENZCon), 20 - 21 Nov 2014, Hamilton, New Zealand.
• Jones, M. H., & Scott, J. B. (2014). Scaling of Electrode-Electrolyte Interface Model Parameters In Phosphate Buffered Saline. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Circuits and Systems, 9(3), 441–448.
• Jones, M.H. & Scott, J.B. (2011). The energy efficiency of 8-bit low-power microcontrollers. In Proceedings of the 18th Electronics New Zealand Conference, ENZCON 2011, Massey University, Palmerston North, 21-22 November 2011, pp. 87-90.
• Jones, M. H. & Scott, J. (2011). Design study of a thermocouple power sensor as a monolithic fin-line. Paper presented at the 77th ARFTG Microwave Measurement Conference. Baltimore, Maryland; June 10 2011.
• Jones, M. H. (2010). Millimetre Wave Power Measurement (Thesis, Master of Engineering (ME)). The University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand.