NICHE Robotic Systems Laboratory
Nature-Inspired Control of Hybrid Environment Robotic Systems
University of Michigan-Dearborn
The NICHE Robotic Systems Laboratory, led by Dr. Karishma Patnaik at the University of Michigan–Dearborn, builds robotic systems that interact with the world through purposeful contact. We specialize in applied control for hybrid environments — from aerial to ground, compliant to rigid — where interaction is not just tolerated, but leveraged.
Our work blends planning, dynamics, and real-world constraints to design systems that are resilient, adaptive, and deployable. We take inspiration from nature, but build for high-stakes applications in manufacturing, inspection, and exploration.
💡 Trivia on Logo: The stylized hummingbird to the right, constructed through Fourier harmonic synthesis of a real contour, embodies the essence of our lab — where mathematical elegance meets physical adaptability. Like the hummingbird, our systems are light, agile, and resilient, navigating hybrid environments with purpose and precision. Each harmonic reflects the layered complexity of robotic interaction: from fine-grained control to broader behavioral patterns. The bird’s balance around the coordinate origin echoes our lab’s commitment to centered, nature-inspired control in contact-rich tasks.
ongoing projects
| Contact inspection with aerial manipulators |
| FlexMan: An autonomous robotic manipulator with reasoning |
news
| May 22, 2025 | Dr. Patnaik’s paper on XPLORER has been accepted for publication in IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics  |
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| May 15, 2025 | Dr. Patnaik was a Guest Speaker at Semiconductor Adventure Day organized by ASU Preparatory Academy  |
| Apr 15, 2025 | Dr. Patnaik’s received the Outstanding Postdoctoral Scholar recognition from the ASU Faculty Women of Color Caucus |
| Mar 25, 2025 | Fourier Birds: Drawing a Hummingbird with Harmonics |
