Autoresearch, and the first map
Napkin math argument that our current understanding of the universe is closer to the earliest surviving map than the next few decades.
2026.09.22 3 min autoresearch · digital twin · eacc · simulation
Luke Hollis
I'm a research engineer in autoresearch and simulation. I'm interested in world models and their potential for automating robotic policy training and evaluation. I'm a researcher with the Harvard Computational Robotics Group.
I previously was senior AI/ML at Anduril and founded a spatial computing startup that was used thousands of research institutions and every top 100 university in the world. I also led an influential project that applied strategies from city simulations to improve control policies for large heterogeneous Multi-Robot Systems.
Outside of my research, I co-founded an NGO for furthering education about 3d graphics and practice western-style boxing.
Autonomous Vehicle Orchestrator
Control groups of robotics and other agents from multiple vendors to collaborate in problem solving with an LLM, world model, and VLA. Evaluated on GDM Melting Pot, SC2, CtF, and similar problems.
Multi-agent Reinforcement LearningWorld ModelsVLA
Overwatch: Multimodal Remote Sensing World Model
Foundation geospatial model trained on multispectral remote sensing data to rapid evaluate change, land usage, flood tracks, and data imputation against noise.
TorchFoundation Geospatial ModelsRemote SensingEarth Observation
Data Scientist Agent: Automating Exploration and Generation of Knowledge
Agent skills that complete experiment design, data source selection and preprocessing, running regressions and other analysis, and interpreting results across a wide range of fields.
Data ScienceStatisticsRemote SensingEconomics
Text-to-3D geospatial simulation with RL+LLM agents
Create a 3D world simulation with live geospatial data. Used for counterfactual analysis, training, and risk assessment.
PythonGenesisThree.jsMuJoCo
Causal-ST
Estimate causal effects from diverse multimodal spatiotemporal data streams
PythonCausal InferenceSpatiotemporalData Science
AS SEEN IN
Reuters 
Wired 
Reddit 
Hacker News 
BBC 
CNN 
National Geographic 
The Guardian 
Smithsonian 
PBS 
Google 
OpenAI 
Harvard Gazette 
The Harvard Crimson 
University of Chicago 
Lonely Planet 
Matterport 
Polycam 
Replicate 
LiveScience 
Sharp 
Nerdist 
Washington Post 
Boston Globe 
My Modern Met Posts
PATENTS
2026
Systems and Methods for Leakage-Free Probabilistic World-State
Estimation and Forecasting from Heterogeneous Observations
64/083,333 · Filed Jun 5, 2026
Patent-pending systems and methods for probabilistic world-state estimation and forecasting from heterogeneous real-world observations.
AWARDS AND HONORS
2026
Nominated to Sigma Xi, Scientific Research Honor Society
Research Fellowship, Harvard Kennedy School, QLab Cohort 3.0
2025
Sequoia Capital, Start-up Trek, selected founders from Harvard and MIT
AGI House, World Models Hackathon, 1st Place Winner
Replicate, Digital Twins Hackathon, 1st Place Winner
2024
National USS Hornet Hackathon, 1st Place Winner
AGI House, Simulations Hackathon, 1st Place Winner
2020
Graduate Research Fellowship, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
PRESENTATIONS AND INVITED TALKS
2025
Autonomy and Robotics, Ethics and Engineering Guest Lecture, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Techniques and Development in Remote Sensing, Lecture, Harvard University.
3d Capture at Stanford Campus, Part 2 of 2. Apple. Stanford University.
Language-Conditioned Simulation with Reinforcement Learning: Synthesizing Decision-Grade Digital Twins for Complex Physical Systems. Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
3d Capture at Stanford Campus, Part 1 or 2. Apple. Stanford University.
2024
Generative Interactive Environments: World Models and Learning from GDM Genie. Google
2023
Synthesizing Multiple Data Imports for 3d Captures of Large Architectural Features. Università degli Studi di Pavia
Techniques and Methodologies in 3d capture and 3d Gaussian Splatting. Old Dominion University.
2022
Digitization and 3d Simulations for Large Exterior Architectural Spaces. Columbia University