CV
Education
- Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering - Robotics, minor in Computer Science, Stony Brook University 2025 (expected)
- M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Stony Brook University, 2019
- B.E. in Mechanical Engineering, Savitribai Phule Pune University, 2012
Work experience
- Robotics and Emboided AI PhD Fellow (June 2025 - Present)
- Associated with: GE Aerospace Research, Niskayuna, NY, USA
- Part of the Autonomous Systems Research Group at GE Aerospace Research.
- Research Assistant (June 2020 - Present)
- Associated with: Interacting Robotic Systems Laboratory, Stony Brook University
- Developed novel model-based and learning-based approaches for task-oriented grasp (regrasp) synthesis directly from sensor data while considering the motion to be imparted to the object.
- Collaborated with graduate students and faculty in researching problems on utilizing the screw- geometric structure of motion for constrained manipulation, providing robots with self evaluation capabilities incremental acquisition of kinesthetic demonstrations, motion generalization, task planning and robot learning.
- Developed novel motion planning, force planning, and trajectory optimization approaches incorporating environmental contact constraints.
- Engineered a perception and manipulation stack using ROS in Python and C++, integrating state-of-the-art deep learning-based approaches for object detection, segmentation, and scene understanding alongside novel screw geometry-based methods for path planning, grasping, and motion planning in an eye-in-hand setup.
- Exploring the integration of foundation models—such as VLMs, LLMs, and transformer-based architectures—with screw geometry-based approaches to enhance a robot’s manipulation capabilities, particularly for tasks involving end-effector motion constraints.
- Supervisors: Dr. Nilanjan Chakraborty, Dr. CR Ramakrishnan and Dr. IV Ramakrishnan
- Research Intern - Robotics and 3D Modelling (June 2024 - August 2024)
- Associated with: Nokia Bell Labs, Murray Hill, NJ, USA
- Investigated techniques for representing and understanding large indoor physical spaces using radiance field techniques like NeRFs and 3D Gaussian Splatting to develop corresponding digital twins.
- Developed efficient pipelines for generating 3D reconstructions of large indoor environments (warehouses) using data collected from fisheye cameras (Qoocam, Insta360, Kodak pixpro SP360), ceiling cameras (Axis), and RGB-D cameras (Intel Realsense D435i) mounted on a mobile robot.
- Diagnosed and resolved key issues in camera calibration and data acquisition from RGB-D cameras on a moving mobile robot, leading to a 30% improvement in PSNR during training for radiance field generation.
- Supervisors: Dr. Matthew Andrews and Dr.Jeongran Lee (Modelling and Opimization Group, AIRL)
- Teaching Assistant
- Associated with: Stony Brook University
- MEC 310 - Introduction to Machine Design (Fall 2019)
- MEC 410 - Design of Machine Elements (Spring 2020)
- MEC 559 - Mobile Robotics and Autonomous Vehicles (Spring 2024)
- Mechanical Design Intern (Nov 2016 - April 2017)
- Associated with: Integrated Systems, Chinchwad, Maharashtra, India
- Successfully designed and assembled special-purpose machines and fixtures, applying mechanical design principles to improve production processes.
- Effectively coordinated with vendors for raw material procurement and component manufacturing, ensuring smooth project execution and meeting project deadlines.
Skills
- Programming Languages: Python, C++, MATLAB, Prolog
- Frameworks: ROS, PyTorch, git, TensorFlow
- Application Software and CAD: PyBullet, Gazebo, CoppeliaSim, SolidWorks, AutoCAD, Inkscape, Blender
- Libraries: Numpy, OpenCV, Open3D, cvx, cvxpy, YALMIP, nerfstudio, Eigen, scikit-learn, PCL, OpenGL
Publications
Synthesizing Grasps and Regrasps for Complex Manipulation Tasks
A. Patankar, D. Mahalingam, N. Chakraborty. Synthesizing Grasps and Regrasps for Complex Manipulation Task. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), Atlanta, USA, 2025.
Design and Kinematic Analysis of a Novel Series-Parallel Hybrid Finger for Robotic Hands
T. Zaw, D. Mahalingam, N. Baiata, A. Patankar, N. Chakraborty. Design and Kinematic Analysis of a Novel Series-Parallel Hybrid Finger for Robotic Hands. Journal of Mechanisms and Robotics, ASME 2025.
Screw Geometry meets Bandits: Incremental Acquisition of Demonstrations for Generating Manipulation Plans
Under Review
A General Formulation for Path Constrained Time-Optimized Trajectory Planning with Environmental and Object Contacts
D. Mahalingam, A. Patankar, R. Laha, S. Lakshminarayanan, S. Haddadin and N. Chakraborty. A General Formulation for Path Constrained Time-Optimized Trajectory Planning with Environmental and Object Contacts. IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), Abu Dhabi, 2024.
Containerized Vertical Farming using Cobots
D. Mahalingam, A. Patankar, K. Phi, N. Chakraborty, R. McGann and I.V. Ramakrishnan. Containerized Vertical Farming Using Cobots. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), Yokohama, Japan, 2024.
Task-Oriented Grasping with Point Cloud Representation of Objects
A. Patankar, K.Phi, D. Mahalingam, N. Chakraborty and I.V. Ramakrishnan. Task-Oriented Grasping with Point Cloud Representation of Objects. IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), Detroit, MI, US, 2023.
Screw Geometry meets Bandits: Incremental Acquisition of Demonstrations for Generating Manipulation Plans
D. Das, A. Patankar, N. Chakraborty, C.R. Ramakrishnan and I.V. Ramakrishnan. Screw Geometry meets Bandits: Incremental Acquisition of Demonstrations for Generating Manipulation Plans. Late Breaking Results Poster, Manipulation and Grasping Session, IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) 2023.
Caregiver-Guided Robotic Manipulation to Promote Independence of People with Significant Locomotor Disability
D. Mahalingam, A. Patankar, D. Das, N. Chakraborty, C.R. Ramakrishnan and I.V. Ramakrishnan. Caregiver-Guided Robotic Manipulation to Promote Independence of People with Significant Locomotor Disability. Workshop on Assistive Robotics for Citizens, IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) 2023.
Knowledge-Enabled Motion Generation for Complex Manipulation Tasks
D. Das, A. Patankar, F. Honda, D. Mahalingam, N. Chakraborty, C.R. Ramakrishnan and I.V. Ramakrishnan. Knowledge-Enabled Motion Generation for Complex Manipulation Tasks. Workshop on Geometric Representations: The Roles of Screw Theory, Lie Algebra, and Geometric Algebra, IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) 2023.
Motion and Force Planning for Manipulating Heavy Objects by Pivoting
A. Fakhari, A. Patankar and N. Chakraborty. Motion and Force Planning for Manipulating Heavy Objects by Pivoting. IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), Prague, Czech Republic, 2021.
Computing a Task-Dependent Grasp Metric Using Second-Order Cone Programs
A. Fakhari, A. Patankar, J.Xie and N. Chakraborty. Computing a Task-Dependent Grasp Metric Using Second-Order Cone Programs. IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), Prague, Czech Republic, 2021.
Hand-Object Contact Force Synthesis for Manipulating Objects by Exploiting Environment
A. Patankar, A. Fakhari and N. Chakraborty. Hand-Object Contact Force Synthesis for Manipulating Objects by Exploiting Environment. IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), Las Vegas, NV, USA, 2020.
Academic Projects
- RRT Motion Planner for Differential Drive Robots
- Transforming Constraint Satisfaction Problems from MiniZinc to QUBO
- Implemented a pipeline, in Python, for converting Constraint Satisfaction Problems (CSPs) modelled using MiniZinc into their equivalent Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO) formulations. [code]
- Newton-Euler Inverse Dynamics
- Implemented the forward and backward iteration stage of the recursive Newton-Euler Inverse Dynamics algorithm. [code]
- Visual Odometry using Deep Recurrent Convolutional Neural Networks
- Implemented an end-to-end framework for Monocular Visual Odometry using Deep Recurrent Convolutional Neural Networks trained on the KITTI Dataset. [code]
Service and Leadership
- Reviewer
- IEEE Transactions on Robotics: 2021
- IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation: 2020 - 2024
- IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems: 2020, 2024
- Session Chair
- Grasping - IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, 2021
- Mentoring Experience: Actively participated in mentoring high-school, undergraduate and graduate students
- Simmons Summer Research Program - Stony Brook University: 2021
- Garcia Summer Research Program - Stony Brook University: 2021-2023
- CSE 523-524 Advanced Project in Computer Science: 2021 - Present
- Leadership Experience
- Graduate Student Organisation (SBU) - Secretary (Executive Board): July 2020 - May 2021
- Elected by the graduate student body at Stony Brook University.
- Responsible for maintaining GSO documents and records pertaining to the E-board and Senate
- Chaired the Elections Committee charged with conducting campus-wide elections in tandem with University administration
- Kickstarted various initiatives during COVID-19 to increase student and alumni engagement while fostering a strong community spirit
- Graduate Housing Residents Association (SBU) - Treasurer (Executive Board): Sept 2019 - Sept 2021
- Elected by the graduate student body residing on-campus to serve as a member of the Executive Board
- Responsible for maintaining expenditure records and procuring funds from programming
- Graduate Student Organisation (SBU) - Senator: Sept 2019 - May 2020
- Represented the Department of Mechanical Engineering as the primary Senator at the GSO Senate meetings.
- Indian Graduate Student Association (SBU) - President (Executive Board): Nov 2017 - Dec 2018
- Organized and conducted various cultural events and student orientations for the Indian graduate student community at SBU.
- Graduate Student Organisation (SBU) - Secretary (Executive Board): July 2020 - May 2021
Honors and Awards
Winner - Graduate Research Symposium, Stony Brook University: March 2023 & 2025 Topic: Task-Oriented Grasping with Point Cloud Representation of Objects
Technology Innovation Award Runner Up, SAE Baja India: Feb 2016
Ranked 34th in the Maharashtra Talent Search Examination 2008 conduted by Modern Education Society’s Center for Talent Search and Excellence.
References will be provided on request.