Vishesh Vikas

Vishesh Vikas is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Alabama, College of Engineering. He is based in the South Engineering Research Center (SERC) and leads the Agile Robotics Laboratory (ARL@UA), which focuses on bio-inspired, soft, and tensegrity robotics, as well as inertial sensing and estimation.

Education:

• PhD, Mechanical Engineering, University of Florida, 2011
• MS, Mechanical Engineering, 2008
• B.Tech., IIT Guwahati, 2005

His research spans autonomous systems, wearable technologies, biomedical devices, guidance and control, intelligent systems, space robotics, and engineering education. The lab’s work integrates mechanical design, sensing, and advanced control to create agile, adaptive robotic systems for unstructured environments.

The recent publications highlight a strong trend in soft and tensegrity robotics, with focus on gait synthesis, locomotion planning, shape and joint estimation, and dexterous manipulation. These works combine modeling, data-driven control, and sensor fusion, often using accelerometers, IMUs, and vision for real-time feedback. The research is published in top robotics venues such as IEEE TRO, RA-L, and ASME journals.

Scientific Awards: No awards explicitly mentioned in the text.

Vishesh Vikas actively advises graduate students, including PhD and Master’s candidates, and has successfully guided several to thesis and dissertation completion. His lab is affiliated with multiple research centers including the Alabama Center for the Advancement of AI, Center for Advanced Manufacturing, and Center for Advanced Public Safety. He is involved in outreach and education, including mechatronics workshops and seminar hosting. Current projects include exosuits for spine support and robotic systems for mobility in extreme environments.

Laboratory and Team: The Agile Robotics Lab (ARL@UA) fosters interdisciplinary research in nature-inspired robotics, combining principles from biology, mechanics, and control. The team has hosted eminent scholars and is featured in university and college news for its innovative work on wearable robotics and soft manipulators.