Nicolas Baumann

Profile

I'm a PhD researcher in Robotics and Autonomous Systems at ETH Zurich currently working on autonomous racing and perception systems. My research focuses on developing robust algorithms for high-performance autonomous vehicles, particularly in racing scenarios where systems are pushed to their physical limits.

My work spans multiple areas including sensor fusion, control systems, and machine learning applied to robotics. I've developed novel approaches for camera-RADAR fusion (CR3DT), trajectory prediction for autonomous racing (Predictive Spliner), and learning-based system identification for racing vehicles. Previously, I worked on ultra-low power embedded systems and IoT devices at ETH Zurich.

A key focus of my research is bridging the gap between theoretical approaches and real-world implementation, particularly in resource-constrained settings. I'm passionate about creating robust solutions that can handle the uncertainties and challenges of real-world deployment while maintaining computational efficiency. My work has been published in top robotics venues including JFR, ICRA, IROS, and various IEEE journals.

Publications

RLPP: A Residual Method for Zero-Shot Real-World Autonomous Racing on Scaled Platforms

RLPP: A Residual Method for Zero-Shot Real-World Autonomous Racing on Scaled Platforms

Edoardo Ghignone, Nicolas Baumann, Cheng Hu, Jonathan Wang, Lei Xie, Andrea Carron, Michele Magno

IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation 2025

Learning-Based On-Track System Identification for Scaled Autonomous Racing in Under a Minute

Learning-Based On-Track System Identification for Scaled Autonomous Racing in Under a Minute

Onur Dikici, Edoardo Ghignone, Cheng Hu, Nicolas Baumann, Lei Xie, Andrea Carron, Michele Magno, Matteo Corno

IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters 2024

Predictive Spliner: Data-Driven Overtaking in Autonomous Racing Using Opponent Trajectory Prediction

Predictive Spliner: Data-Driven Overtaking in Autonomous Racing Using Opponent Trajectory Prediction

Nicolas Baumann, Edoardo Ghignone, Cheng Hu, Benedict Hildisch, Tino Hämmerle, Alessandro Bettoni, Andrea Carron, Lei Xie, Michele Magno

IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters 2024

ForzaETH Race Stack - Scaled Autonomous Head-to-Head Racing on Fully Commercial off-the-Shelf Hardware

ForzaETH Race Stack - Scaled Autonomous Head-to-Head Racing on Fully Commercial off-the-Shelf Hardware

Nicolas Baumann, Edoardo Ghignone, Jonas Kühne, Niklas Bastuck, Jonathan Becker, Nadine Imholz, Tobias Kränzlin, Tian Yi Lim, Michael Lötscher, Luca Schwarzenbach, Luca Tognoni, Christian Vogt, Andrea Carron, Michele Magno

Journal of Field Robotics 2024

Model- and Acceleration-based Pursuit Controller for High-Performance Autonomous Racing

Model- and Acceleration-based Pursuit Controller for High-Performance Autonomous Racing

Jonathan Becker, Nadine Imholz, Luca Schwarzenbach, Edoardo Ghignone, Nicolas Baumann, Michele Magno

IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation 2023

CR3DT: Camera-RADAR Fusion for 3D Detection and Tracking

CR3DT: Camera-RADAR Fusion for 3D Detection and Tracking

Nicolas Baumann, Michael Baumgartner, Edoardo Ghignone, Jonas Kühne, Tobias Fischer, Yung-Hsu Yang, Marc Pollefeys, Michele Magno

IEEE/RJS International Conference on Intelligent RObots and Systems 2024

Robustness Evaluation of Localization Techniques for Autonomous Racing

Robustness Evaluation of Localization Techniques for Autonomous Racing

Tian Yi Lim, Edoardo Ghignone, Nicolas Baumann, Michele Magno

Design, Automation and Test in Europe 2024

Assessing the Robustness of LiDAR, Radar and Depth Cameras Against Ill-Reflecting Surfaces in Autonomous Vehicles: An Experimental Study

Assessing the Robustness of LiDAR, Radar and Depth Cameras Against Ill-Reflecting Surfaces in Autonomous Vehicles: An Experimental Study

Michael Loetscher, Nicolas Baumann, Edoardo Ghignone, Andrea Ronco, Michele Magno

World Forum on Internet of Things 2023

DSORT-MCU: Detecting Small Objects in Real Time on Microcontroller Units

DSORT-MCU: Detecting Small Objects in Real Time on Microcontroller Units

Liam Boyle, Julian Moosmann, Nicolas Baumann, Seonyeong Heo, Michele Magno

IEEE Sensors Journal 2024

Enhancing Lightweight Neural Networks for Small Object Detection in IoT Applications

Enhancing Lightweight Neural Networks for Small Object Detection in IoT Applications

Liam Boyle, Nicolas Baumann, Seonyeong Heo, Michele Magno

Italian National Conference on Sensors 2023

A Robust and Real-Time Hyper-Spectral Sensor-Fusion Model for Concrete Crack Segmentation

A Robust and Real-Time Hyper-Spectral Sensor-Fusion Model for Concrete Crack Segmentation

Matthias Steiner, Nicolas Baumann, Luzian Lebovitz, Michele Magno

Sensors Applications Symposium 2023

Towards Robust Velocity and Position Estimation of Opponents for Autonomous Racing Using Low-Power Radar

Towards Robust Velocity and Position Estimation of Opponents for Autonomous Racing Using Low-Power Radar

Andrea Ronco, Nicolas Baumann, Marco Giordano, Michele Magno

International Workshop on Advances in Sensors and Interfaces 2023

Low-cost Smart Raven Deterrent System with Tiny Machine Learning for Smart Agriculture

Low-cost Smart Raven Deterrent System with Tiny Machine Learning for Smart Agriculture

Seonyeong Heo, Nicolas Baumann, Carla Margelisch, Marco Giordano, Michele Magno

International Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference 2023

TC-Driver: A Trajectory-Conditioned Reinforcement Learning Approach to Zero-Shot Autonomous Racing

TC-Driver: A Trajectory-Conditioned Reinforcement Learning Approach to Zero-Shot Autonomous Racing

Edoardo Ghignone, Nicolas Baumann, Michele Magno

IEEE Transactions on Field Robotics 2022

Design and Performance Evaluation of an Ultralow-Power Smart IoT Device With Embedded TinyML for Asset Activity Monitoring

Design and Performance Evaluation of an Ultralow-Power Smart IoT Device With Embedded TinyML for Asset Activity Monitoring

Marco Giordano, Nicolas Baumann, M. Crabolu, Raphael Fischer, G. Bellusci, Michele Magno

IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement 2022

Piepser 2.0: A Self-Sustaining Smartwatch to Maximize the Paragliders Flytime

Piepser 2.0: A Self-Sustaining Smartwatch to Maximize the Paragliders Flytime

Nicolas Baumann, Michael Ganz, Michele Magno

IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement 2020

Piepser: A Smart Wrist-Worn Variometer To Maximize The Paragliders Flytime.

Piepser: A Smart Wrist-Worn Variometer To Maximize The Paragliders Flytime.

Tim Fischer, Michael Ganz, Nicolas Baumann, Michele Magno

Sensors Applications Symposium 2019