ESE PhD Candidate Shivangi Misra defended her thesis on Modeling and Motion Planning for Robotic Systems with Networked Compliance on Friday, July 10th. Advised by Professor Cynthia Sung, Misra’s research focuses on model-based motion planning for robots that move via compliance, either by deforming their own bodies, as in a soft robot, or by pushing against compliant environments, such as sandy terrain.
“Compliant interactions are notoriously difficult to predict, but reduced order physics models can capture the relationship between geometry and forces in a tractable way,” Misra explains. “My work leverages these models to anticipate interaction forces and plan feasible robot motions towards task-specific goals.”
Throughout Misra’s research, she encountered challenges with topics outside of her prior training. Yet understanding those topics proved essential to her broader research goals. One example includes, “the mechanics of granular terrain, which I needed to understand in order to model how a robot system interacts with sandy ground,” Misra says.
“This was intimidating at first and even though I recognized this as a natural part of the Ph.D. research process, it took me a while to devise my own strategy to address it ,” Misra explains. To understand the mechanics of granular terrain, Misra read papers and accessed additional introductory resources. “I also learned to become more comfortable in reaching out to other researchers in my community. They helped me refine how I was framing the connection to the new topic and determined a reasonable scope for how I would tackle it.”
While technical challenges continued to persist throughout her research, Misra learned to break “the work into smaller, focused questions that made it easier to keep going and keep my morale up.”
Expressing gratitude to the many people who supported her academic journey, Misra attributes extensive thanks to her advisor, Professor Cynthia Sung. “The opportunities and guidance I received from her shaped my doctoral work.” In addition, Misra thanks her “collaborators, labmates and committee members for their encouragement, support, mentorship and feedback.”
Further, the strong friendships Misra built with ESE PhD student colleagues, Vivian and Alex, fortified her community. So did encouragement from her parents and husband.
Summer research represents Misra’s favorite memories at Penn. ”With the lush-green campus as a backdrop, relatively less crowded spaces and longer daylight time, it always felt like there was ample time to ponder research questions, get coffee with friends around campus and also indulge in hobbies after work,” Misra says, adding, “different seasons at Penn have their own charm, but I really looked forward to summer each year.”
Regarding future plans, Misra is looking for industry jobs, “ideally in settings where robots are deployed in the outdoors. Since experiencing the many challenges that come about in field robotics through my research at Penn, I am more motivated to learn how this is dealt with in industry and get involved in building systems that can make outdoor performance more robust.”
When Misra isn’t working, she enjoys reading books and taking long walks.
Learn more about Misra’s work here