Nitin Sharma

Nitin Sharma is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at NC State University. His research focuses on developing control methods for safe and stable human-robot interaction in neurorehabilitation, particularly using hybrid exoskeletons combined with functional electrical stimulation (FES) to assist individuals with paraplegia. He earned his PhD and MS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florida (2010 and 2008).

His research interests include Robust Adaptive Nonlinear Control of FES, synergistic control of exoskeletons, ultrasound imaging for intent detection and muscle fatigue modeling, and time-delayed robotic systems. Notable awards include the 2019 IEEE CSS Control Systems Technology Award and the 2018 NSF CAREER Award.

Sharma leads the Sharmalab, a multidisciplinary group exploring control theory, biomechanics, and robotics for neurological disorder interventions. Recent projects involve ultrasound-based muscle state monitoring, tremor suppression via afferent stimulation, and acoustic microrobot control for neuromodulation. He teaches BME 205: Introduction to Biomedical Mechanics and has secured grants like the NIH R21 for FES control algorithms in stroke patients.

His lab emphasizes wearable multi-modal sensing (ultrasound and electromyography) for real-time feedback in assistive devices, with applications in spinal cord injury, stroke, and Parkinson’s disease. Ongoing work includes developing a lower-limb hybrid exoskeleton system and optimizing FES dosage to minimize muscle fatigue.