Agile Robotics Lab at UA

Welcome to the home page of the Agile Robotics Lab at University of Alabama (ARL@UA) located in the South Engineering Research Center (SERC) Building. The lab conducts applied research in the fields of bio-inspired robotics, soft robotics, tensegrity robotics, inertial sensing and optimal estimation.

Recent Publications

A. N. Mahendran, C. Freeman, A. Chang, M. McDougall, P. Vela and V. Vikas . "Multi-gait Locomotion Planning and Tracking for Tendon-actuated Terrestrial Soft Robot (TerreSoRo)."  2023 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2023). [arxiv, Youtube Video]

C. Woods, and V. Vikas . "Design and Modeling Framework for DexTeR: Dexterous Continuum Tensegrity Manipulator." ASME. J. Mechanisms Robotics. June 2023; 15(3): 031006.  [Article Link, Youtube Video].

C. Woods and V. Vikas "Joint angle estimation using accelerometer arrays and model-based filtering", IEEE Sensors Journal, 2022 [Article Link, Youtube Video].

H. Bezawada, C. Woods and V. Vikas, "Shape reconstruction of soft manipulators using vision and IMU feedback'", IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L)​ [Article Link, YouTube Video].

C. Freeman, M. Maynard and V. Vikas "Topology and morphology design of spherically reconfigurable homogeneous Modular Soft Robots (MSoRos)", Soft Robotics [arxiv, Article Link, Youtube Video].

H. Bezawada, C. Woods and V. Vikas "Shape Estimation of Soft Manipulators using Piecewise Continuous Pythagorean-Hodograph Curves", American Controls Conference (ACC), Jun 2022 [Article Link].

C. Woods and V. Vikas "Balancing inverted pendulum carts on inclines using accelerometers", ASME Letters in Dynamics Systems and Controls, 2021.[Article Link, Youtube Video]

M. Maynard and V. Vikas "Angular velocity estimation using non-coplanar accelerometer array", IEEE Sensors Journal, 2021. [arxiv, Article Link]

A. Chang, C. Freeman, A. N, Mahendran, V. Vikas and P. Vela, "Shape-centric Modeling for Soft Robot Inchworm Locomotion", 2021 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2021) [Article Link,  NSF-PAR, Youtube Video].

T. Rhodes, C. Gotberg and V. Vikas, "Compact Shape Morphing Tensegrity Robots Capable of Locomotion",  Frontiers in AI and Robotics, Nov 2019. [Article Link]

[Youtube Video 1 - Fabricating Tensegrity Mechanisms]

[Youtube Video 2 - Tensegrity Robot Locomotion ] 

T. Rhodes, M. Tanouye and V. Vikas, "Nonlinear behavior of planar compliant tensegrity mechanism with variable free-lengths",  IFToMM Asian Mechanism and Machine Science, Dec 2018

T. Rhodes and V. Vikas, "Planar Shape Changing Compliant Tensegrity Mechanisms with Multi-Stable Equilibria",  IROS 2018  Workshop on Shape Changing Robotic Structures and Interfaces, Oct 2018 [POSTER].

M. Tanouye and V. Vikas, “Static and stability analysis of a planar tensegrity mechanism”, ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conference, Aug 2018 [Article Link].

News

Nov, 2023. We had the pleasure of hosting Prof. Jun Ueda, director of Biorobotics and Human Modeling Lab, GaTech. He also gave a seminar as part of the Robotics Seminar Series in ME Department at UA.

Nov, 2023. Congratulations to Lauren for becoming the NASA Space Grant Year 2 Fellow through the Alabama Space Grant Consortium (ASGC) Fellowship!

Oct, 2022. We participated in IROS2023 where Arun presented his work on terrestrial soft robot path planning and we presented our recent tensegrity work in the Tensegrity Robotics Workshop!

Jun, 2023. Congratulations to Arun, Caitlin and our collaborators at IVA Lab (GaTech) for getting "Multi-gait Locomotion Planning and Tracking for Tendon-actuated Terrestrial Soft Robot (TerreSoRo)" accepted to IROS2023!

Mar, 2023. Talk about "SoRo Transformers: Spherically Reconfigurable Soft Robots" at the 3rd International Conference on Embodied Intelligence (EI '23)!

Mar, 2023. Congratulations to Caitlin and Justin for getting "Topology design and optimization of Modular Soft Robots (MSoRos) capable of homogenous and heterogenous reconfiguration" accepted to Special Issue on Design and Control of Responsive Robots, ASME Journal of Mechanisms and Robotics, and Journal of Computation and Nonlinear Dynamics!

Feb, 2022. We participated in the Beaker Bash 2023 at the McWane Science Center! We demonstrated our tensegrity mechanisms, soft and tensegrity robots!

Feb, 2023. Congratulations to Cole for getting "Design and Modeling of DexTeR: Dexterous Continuum Tensegrity Manipulator" accepted to Special Issue on Design and Control of Responsive Robots, ASME Journal of Mechanisms and Robotics!

Nov, 2022. Congratulations to Cole for winning the "Engineering as Art" award with the "Telephant:Tensegrity Elephant"! 

Nov, 2022. Congratulations to Lauren for becoming the NASA Space Grant Fellow through the Alabama Space Grant Consortium (ASGC) Fellowship!

Sep, 2022. Congratulations to Chase, Justin and Lauren for joining the Agile Robotics Lab as graduate students!

Aug, 2022. Congratulations to Cole for getting "Joint angle estimation using accelerometer arrays and model-based filtering" accepted to IEEE Sensors Journal!

Jun, 2022. Congratulations to Harish and Cole for getting their IEEE RA-L paper on soft manipulator shape reconstruction accepted for IROS 2022!

Mar, 2022. Congratulations to Caitlin and Michael for getting their modular soft robot design paper to Soft Robotics Journal!

​Feb, 2022. Congratulations to Cole on being accepted to the Alabama EPSCoR Graduate Research Scholars Program!

Mar, 2022. Congratulations to Harish and Cole for getting their paper accepted to American Controls Conference (ACC), 2022.

​Apr, 2022. Congratulations to Caitlin on being awarded the Graduate Student of the Year in Mechanical Engineering at University of Alabama by the Engineering Council of Birmingham!

​Feb, 2022. Congratulations to Caitlin on being awarded the Graduate Council Fellowship (GCF)!

Nov, 2021. Agile Robotics Lab (ARL) participates in The Sixth Annual Space Days at UA highlighting tensegrity mechanisms for space applications! [News Link]​

Oct, 2021. Agile Robotics Lab (ARL) participates in the Faculty Research Showcase, UA with the Emerging Scholar Program (ESP) highlighting lab's soft and tensegrity robots! [News Link]​

Sept, 2021. Congratulations to Cole for getting "Balancing inverted pendulum cart on inclines using accelerometers" paper accepted for ASME Letters in Dynamic Systems and Controls! [News Link, Youtube Video]

Aug, 2021. Dr. Vikas' talk on 'Mobility and Morphing of Soft Robots' at the SEC-sess (Special Early Career session), Mechanisms & Robotics Conference, ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences

Aug, 2021. Congratulations to Michael Maynard for getting "Angular velocity estimation using non-coplanar accelerometer array" accepted for IEEE Sensors Journal [arxiv, News Link]!

July, 2021. Congratulations to Caitlin Freeman and Arun Niddish on their collaborative research "Shape-centric Modeling for Soft Robot Inchworm Locomotion" accepted at IROS 2021 [News Link]!

July, 2021. Congratulations to Caitlin Freeman (1st) and Cole Woods (3rd) for winning the Competition at the IEEE Seasonal School on “Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies based on Soft Robotics” (SofTech-Rehab)