Projects

Fabrication, Modelling and Application of HASEL actuators 

Naman Khetan, Toshihiko Fukushima, Prof. Christoph Keplinger

This project was part of my DAAD WISE Internship at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems. I developed a bioinspired wing mechanism inspired by the synchronous flight muscles of dragonflies. I have used HASEL (Hydraulically Amplified Self-healing Electrostatic) actuators as flight muscles. The mechanism successfully worked with high-speed reciprocating motion (20Hz). The above videos are part of the experimental setup. For more details, see the Design Report and Videos.

Multi-segment soft actuator design optimization using sequential lexicographic surrogate-assisted genetic algorithm

Naman Khetan, S Yuvaraj

In this project, there is a pipeline made to model the finger as a biologically plausible two-pneumatic actuator, two-bone system, parameterized to mirror the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) and proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints found in human anatomy. A key innovation is the use of a Ludwick-inspired analytic surrogate (trained via radial basis function regression) to predict pressure-dependent actuator bending angles across a broad design space. Prediction of tip position is done through PCC (Piecewise Constant Curvature) based analytical equations. The first stage applies a strictly prioritized genetic algorithm to identify actuator geometries that achieve sub-degree joint angle matching; a secondary energy minimization is performed only among candidates satisfying this constraint. The second stage optimizes bone lengths for each pose using a tip error and bone energy lexicographic policy, exploiting forward kinematic modelling with the fixed optimal actuators. Thus, we have tried to rigorously enforce anatomical joint angles while systematically minimizing actuation energy and fingertip position error.

Results across ten anatomically referenced hand poses demonstrate consistently low total joint angle error (mean: 0.355°) and robust tip trajectory matching (mean position error: 11 mm), comparing well with recent soft finger optimization literature. We also simulated these designs in Ansys. 

Design Optimization of Retracting Drone Arm Mechanism

Naman Khetan

In this project, I have done the mass optimization of a retracting drone arm mechanism and its supporting frame using Altair Inspire. Designed with ABS material for its strength and lightweight properties, the mechanism allows the drone to switch seamlessly between stability and agility. Longer arms provide greater stability, while shorter arms enable enhanced agility, offering a versatile solution for varying flight conditions. The optimization process integrates motion analysis to fine-tune the mechanism’s performance. Structural loads, including weighted thrust forces,  have been applied to optimize the frame for strength and efficiency. As a result, I achieved a remarkable 41.7% mass reduction while maintaining an overall factor of safety of 6. 

TorsioSquid: A squid-inspired underwater bot 

Naman Khetan, Krishna Chaitanya Myneni, Prof. Pawan Sharma

Designed and modelled a squid-inspired bot whose unique propulsion is achieved through a synergy of torsional buckling and Bowden cables arranged in a helical pattern around a semi-ellipsoidal Ecoflex shell. The research outputs from this project were accepted as Research Posters at IEEE RoboSoft 2024 and CyPhySS 2024, IISc. For more details, see the Design Report.

Design and Modelling of Soft Actuators

Naman Khetan, Krishna Chaitanya Myneni, Dhananjay Khandelwal, Varad Kharade, Devyan Mishra, Prof. Pawan Sharma

Used the Finite Element Method (FEM) for the modelling and optimising designs of soft actuators by iterating various design and material-associated parameters. Achieved a 51.8% improvement in actuator bending in simulation while also managing computational efficiency. I have also presented a Research Poster on this project at Engineer Conclave, Inter IIT Tech Meet 2023. For more details, see the Design Report.

Optimisation of the shank link of the quadruped-legged robot

Naman Khetan, Aman Singh, Prof. Shishir Kolathaya

This project was part of my internship at IISc, Bengaluru. I utilised lattice structures like gyroids for mass reduction and enhancement of the strength-to-weight ratio of shank links of robotic legs. We took inspiration for this idea from butterfly wings, reducing their weight by 16% while bolstering their torsional strength. For more details, see the Analysis Report.

Digital Design of 3-wheel Electric Vehicle

Naman Khetan, S Yuvraj, Dhananjay Khandelwal, Vinayak Tyagi

This project is a part of the EnCode competition, an automobile competition by IIT Guwahati and Bosch. We proposed our design of a tadpole EV with a skateboard chassis consisting of in-wheel motors and verified our calculations through the MATLAB model of our EV. My team won first place in the EV segment of EnCode. For more details, see the Design Report.

Soft Robotic Fish

Naman Khetan

Ideated a soft robotic fish for a BioTech competition at IIT Madras. I studied smart materials like Shape Memory Alloys and dielectric elastomers and integrated them to design flow within the fish. My target application was SDG 14 - Life Below Water. I came under the top 10 individuals nationwide in this competition. For more details, see the Ideation Report.

Team Trident - Chassis Design of Formula Student Racing Car

Naman Khetan, Anshuman Chaurasia, Vinayak Tyagi, S Yuvaraj, Sri Manikandan

This project is under Team Trident, SAE Collegiate Club, IIT(BHU), Varanasi, for the SUPRA SAE competition. This is based on the designing, simulation, and manufacturing of chassis. The chassis design was done in SOLIDWORKS and simulated in Ansys Mechanical using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to get stress-strain properties of the chassis. We reduced the weight of the chassis by 15% using Ansys Static Structural while maintaining the same stiffness. Manufacturing of the chassis was done using AISI 1018 steel pipes and Manual Arc Welding.  For more details, see the Design Report.

Design Optimisation of Drone Arm

Naman Khetan, Devyan Mishra, Aryan Kumar, Mudit Pathak, Pratik Mishra, Prof. Pawan Sharma

Optimized drone arm structure using the SIMP algorithm of SOLIDWORKS and naturally topology-optimized structures like gyroids. Its strength is evaluated using Ansys Mechanical by Finite Element Analysis (FEA). The observation was the drone arm structure made using the SIMP algorithm was most efficient regarding the safety-to-weight ratio factor.  For more details, see the Design Report.