Research at Penn's GRASP Lab on COMPA/HAMR, a holonomic off-road robot with a differential-drive base and a 3-DoF gimbal turret. I built the 2.5D simulation and control framework that lets the robot cross rough outdoor terrain with provable traversability guarantees. Submitted to ICRA 2026 in collaboration with George Mason University.
- MPC controller with holonomic and slope-aware traversability constraints
- ARA* global planner paired with a local traversability optimizer
- Jacobian-based control, Grid Map terrain layers, Gazebo heightmaps
- ROS 2 Jazzy stack in C++ and Python
- Hardware validation on a rocker-suspension prototype with a stabilizing gimbal turret
Next: a Holonomic Traversability Optimizer for smoother, more energy-efficient motion in 2.5D rough terrain.
Repos: https://github.com/cedrichld/hamr_holonomic_robot (high level, simulation), https://github.com/virmani11kartik/HAMR_Controller (embedded).
COMPA_MPC_Off_Road.mp4
MiniP, the world's smallest self-powered drone
MiniP is a micro-aerial platform at ModLab that holds the Guinness World Record for the smallest self-powered drone. I joined the aerodynamics effort: modeling and optimizing micro-propeller geometry with Bayesian Optimization to maximize lift-to-drag at very small scales, under severe size, mass, and power constraints.
- Propeller geometry search via Bayesian Optimization
- Bench tests and CAD iteration on micro-airfoils
- Drove L/D improvements that pushed MiniP toward more stable, higher-efficiency flight
