Robotics and Automation

Compliant-link biped trajectory

The Robotics and Mechanisms area seeks to promote research and develop technologies that enable systems to exhibit intelligent, goal-oriented behavior, and developing innovative instruments to monitor, manipulate, and control systems. Overall, our research spans the following areas: humanoid robots, intelligent control systems, flexible manipulators, mechanism theory, microsensors and actuators, and compliant mechanism. We focus on enabling technologies that necessitate novel design solutions in terms of development of new methods of synthesis, analysis & optimization of novel robots and mechanisms.

Research Areas

Analysis, synthesis and motion planning of robots and mechanisms
Biped Locomotion: Design and experimentation of optimal energy efficient biped robots with compliance at foot, knee joints, etc.
Exoskeleton: Human motion based design and development of a three finger 10 DOF exoskeleton robot hand for rehabilitation of stroke patients.
Intelligent control systems: Design, development and path planning of 14 DOF Lunar rover on 3D terrain. Kinematics and redundancy resolution for performing tasks with arm on rover.
Micro Sensors and Actuators: Ionic Polymer Metal Composite (IPMC) based grippers and mechanisms for robotic micro assembly.
Smart compliant mechanisms

Research Laboratories

Robotiscs Laboratory
Smart Materials, Structures and Systems Laboratory
Compliant and Robotics Systems (CARS) Lab

Associated Faculty

Bhaskar Dasgupta, PhD (IISc Bangalore): Parallel manipulators, redundant manipulators, robot motion planning, multi modal optimization, domain mapping.

Ashish Dutta, PhD (Akita University, Japan): Humanoid robotics: design, control and motion planning of compliant and rigid link bipeds; Hand exoskeleton: design and control of hand exoskeletons for rehabilitation of stroke patients; Motion planning: path planning and redundancy resolution of mobile manipulator systems like lunar rover etc.; smart materials: design of grippers/mechanisms for micro robotic assembly using ionic polymer metal composites.

Research facilities

Compliant and Robotics Systems (CARS) Lab	Compliant Mechanisms and Robotic Systems
Robotics Lab	8DOF rigid link Biped robot capable of dynamic walking. 8DOF biped robot with compliant links to study eﬀect of Compliance on energy consumption during walk. 10 DOF Lunar rover for terrain mapping, path planning and experimentation on lunar like terrain. Three finger exoskeleton for rehabilitation of stroke patients. A quad rotor based UAV for visual motor control of mobile robots. A 4DOF SCARA robot for experiments on manufacturing assembly using compliant IPMC grippers. EMG and EEG signal processing equipment for control of robots using bio-signals.
Smart Materials, Structures & Systems Laboratory	3D Laser Doppler Vibrometer, dSpace ACE 1103, 1104, Multi channel SMA amplifiers, d33 meter, Magnetic Levitation Control