Projects | Ash

2025

RL-Based Locomotion for Unitree Go2 (Isaac Lab)

Designed and implemented a custom reinforcement learning locomotion task for the Unitree Go2 from scratch using NVIDIA Isaac Lab. Built the full RL pipeline including task registration, observation/action spaces, reward design, and trained a stable walking policy using the RSL-RL framework with Direct Workflow environments for rapid iteration.

NVIDIA Isaac Lab Reinforcement Learning Quadruped Locomotion RSL-RL USD Assets Physics Simulation

Sim-to-Sim RL Policy Transfer (Isaac Lab → Isaac Sim)

Deployed a locomotion policy trained in Isaac Lab into Isaac Sim to study policy execution, observation sequencing, and action-to-joint mapping. Reconstructed the environment, mapped the policy interface, and validated runtime behavior with interactive keyboard control as a precursor to sim-to-real deployment.

Sim-to-Sim Transfer Isaac Sim Policy Deployment Observation Design Action Mapping Robotics Control

Linear Slip Mitigation in Robotic Manipulation

Co-authored a peer-reviewed Nature Communications study addressing linear slip during robotic grasping and manipulation. Contributed to algorithmic development and experimental validation demonstrating robust slip-aware control strategies under real-world contact uncertainties.

Robot Manipulation Slip Mitigation Contact Dynamics Robotics Research Nature Communications

Rotational Slip Detection and Mitigation for Robot Arms

Investigated rotational slip phenomena in robotic manipulation and contributed to control strategies that detect and mitigate object rotation during grasping. Demonstrated improved manipulation stability through experimental evaluation on robotic arms.

Robotic Grasping Rotational Slip Force Interaction Manipulation Control Experimental Robotics

3D Citrus Fruit Detection and Size Estimation

Developed a multi-modal perception pipeline for agricultural robotics to detect, count, and estimate the size of citrus fruits using stereo vision. Combined custom-trained YOLO models with SAM-based segmentation and point cloud geometry for 3D localization, ripeness analysis, and GPS-tagged mapping.

Computer Vision Agricultural Robotics YOLO Segment Anything Stereo Vision Point Clouds

RL-Based Manipulator Control Without Analytical IK

Trained a reinforcement learning policy for a Trossen robotic arm in PyBullet to reach target positions without relying on analytical inverse kinematics. Progressed from PPO to SAC with randomized dynamics and external disturbances, and successfully deployed the learned policy in a sim-to-real setup.

Robot Manipulation Reinforcement Learning PyBullet PPO SAC Sim-to-Real

Startup Judge — Startup Texas Pitch & SBIR/STTR Demo Day

Served as a startup judge for the Startup Texas Emerging Industries Pitch Competition and SBIR/STTR Demo Day in Brownsville, Texas. Evaluated early-stage deep-tech startups and participated in the allocation of approximately $100K in funding across multiple industry sectors as part of community outreach and innovation support.

Startup Evaluation SBIR/STTR Technology Commercialization Entrepreneurship Community Outreach

ROS 2 Navigation Stack Deployment in Isaac Sim

Integrated NVIDIA Isaac Sim with ROS 2 via the ROS 2 Bridge to deploy and test the ROS 2 navigation stack. Validated SLAM and autonomous navigation using slam_toolbox and Nav2, enabling map generation, localization, and goal-based navigation in a simulated robotics environment.

ROS 2 Isaac Sim ROS 2 Bridge Nav2 slam_toolbox Autonomous Navigation

2024

Deep Q-Learning for Classic Control (Inverted Pendulum)

Implemented DQN from scratch to solve the inverted pendulum task in OpenAI Gymnasium, including value network design and discrete action selection. Additional handwritten algorithms include A2C and tabular Q-learning to demonstrate foundational RL understanding.

Reinforcement Learning DQN OpenAI Gymnasium Value-Based RL Control Systems Python

Continuous Control with DDPG for Bipedal Locomotion

Developed a continuous control RL solution using DDPG to train a bipedal walker environment, implementing actor-critic networks and stabilizing the learning process in simulation. Focused on observation-action mapping and reward shaping for locomotion efficiency.

Reinforcement Learning DDPG Actor-Critic Continuous Control Bipedal Locomotion Simulation

Autonomous Driving Control on F1TENTH Using PID & Gap Follow

Implemented a PID-based steering controller and lidar-based gap follow algorithm for obstacle avoidance, achieving robust trajectory tracking on the F1TENTH autonomous racing platform.

Autonomous Vehicles F1TENTH PID Control Gap Follow LiDAR Processing Trajectory Control

Dynamic Obstacle Avoidance Using RRT on F1TENTH

Integrated pure pursuit path tracking with RRT-based dynamic obstacle avoidance to navigate the F1TENTH platform safely. Demonstrated real-time replanning and robust trajectory adherence in complex race scenarios.

Motion Planning RRT Dynamic Obstacle Avoidance Pure Pursuit Autonomous Racing F1TENTH

Startup Competition Participant — Panasci (UB)

Participated in the Panasci Startup Competition at the University at Buffalo, clearing two evaluation rounds. Presented technology ideas to a panel of judges, demonstrating early-stage innovation and entrepreneurial engagement.

Startup Competition Entrepreneurship Innovation Pitching University Projects

2023 & Earlier

System Identification on FANUC Industrial Robot (IIT Kanpur)

Conducted a research internship at IIT Kanpur focused on system identification of a FANUC industrial robotic arm. Designed and executed vibration-based experiments, collected displacement-time data, and applied FFT-based modal analysis to identify dominant system dynamics and resonance characteristics.

Industrial Robotics FANUC System Identification Modal Analysis FFT Robotics Research

Manufacturing Quality Improvement Award — Hero MotoCorp

Received an award at Hero MotoCorp two-wheeler manufacturing facility for contributing to manufacturing quality improvement initiatives. Supported the introduction of automated inspection tools and process enhancements to improve defect detection and production consistency.

Manufacturing Quality Automated Inspection Process Improvement Industrial Engineering

Water Rescue Drone for Drowning Rescue Assistance

Worked on the development and field testing of a water rescue drone designed to assist in drowning rescue scenarios. Developed an embedded system to capture and transmit impact force data during water interactions, enabling performance evaluation under real operating conditions.

Robotics Systems Embedded Systems Robotics Sensor Data Acquisition Field Testing

Modular Robotic Arm for Mars Rover (5-DOF)

Designed and built a 5-DOF modular robotic arm for a Mars rover prototype with a lifting capacity of 3 kg. Implemented inverse kinematics–based control with a closed-loop feedback system using multi-turn potentiometers for absolute joint position sensing.

Robotic Manipulation Inverse Kinematics Closed-Loop Control Mars Rover Mechatronics

Go-Kart Design and Build Project

Designed and built a go-kart prototype with full compliance to competition regulations with a team of 20 engineering students. Optimized the steering geometry to achieve a minimum turning radius of 1.89 m and validated performance through real-world testing and competition evaluation.

▶ Watch Go-Kart in Action

Mechanical Design SolidWorks Vehicle Dynamics Prototype Development

My Projects