Rakesh Vivekanandan
About Me
Hello! My name is Rakesh, and I am currently a Ph.D. student in Robotics at the Oregon State University Robotic Decision Making Laboratory, under the guidance of Dr. Geoffrey A. Hollinger. I conduct research focused on improving the long-term autonomy of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) in dynamic marine environments. My work includes developing capabilities for autonomous underwater docking, incorporating wave and current models into control frameworks, and facilitating real-time 3D reconstruction of free-floating objects to enhance obstacle avoidance strategies. Overall, my research interests lie at the intersection of perception, motion planning, and control.
Previously I worked as a Project Associate at Indian Institute of Technology - Madras, under the guidance of Dr. P.V. Manivannan. I received my B.E. in Electronics and Communications Engineering from Anna University in May 2019.
Work Experience
Blue Robotics
Software Intern, April 2023 - July 2023
Developed extensions for autonomous ROV operations and improved ArduSub capabilities. Also worked on the integration of DVL, GPS, and an imaging sonar sensor.
Accio Robotics
ROS Developer, August 2020 - November 2020
Developed a navigation stack for multi-robot coordination in a kitchen environment. Designed and implemented a high-level finite state machine using ROS. Integrated RTAB-Map for localization and mapping of the environment.
Indian Institute of Technology - Madras
Project Associate, November 2019 - November 2020
Worked on visual-servoing and trajectory optimization of a 2 DOF industrial robot manipulator. Implemented computed-torque control for smooth and precise control of the manipulator.
FlytBase
Robotics Software Engineer, June 2019 - October 2019
Worked on perception and motion planning of aerial robots for various applications, such as warehouse inventory management, drone show and wind turbine inspection.
Publications
Journal Papers
M. Chen, R. Vivekanandan, C. J. Rusch, D. Okushemiya, D. Manalang, B. Robertson, G. Hollinger, "A unified simulation framework for wave energy powered underwater vehicle docking and charging," Applied Energy, vol. 361, pp. 122877, February 2024.
V.G. Rajanbabu, R. Ramasubbu, P. Balaji, R. Vivekanandan, S. Srinivasan, “Improved grey wolf optimizer for an optimal tuning of PID controller in the quarter-car suspension system,” Journal of Advanced Research in Dynamical and Control Systems, special issue – 10, pp. 1123-1132, 2018.
Conference Papers
R. Vivekanandan, D. Chang, G. A. Hollinger, “Autonomous Underwater Docking using Flow State Estimation and Model Predictive Control,” in Proc. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), pp. 1062-1068, London, United Kingdom, 2023.
Workshop Papers
R. Vivekandan and G. Hollinger, "Autonomous underwater docking and recharging," in Proc. IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems Workshop on Robotics for the Blue Economy and Climate Resiliency (IROS), Detroit, MI, October, 2023.
R. Vivekanandan, D. Chang, and G. A. Hollinger,“Flow state estimation and optimal control for autonomous underwater docking,” in Proc. University Marine Energy Research Community (UMERC) Conference, Portland, OR, September 2022 (Abstract and Poster).
M. Chen, R. Vivekanandan, C. Rusch, B. Robertson, G. A. Hollinger,“A framework for wave-to-wire simulation of wave energy converters for autonomous underwater vehicle recharging,” in Proc. University Marine Energy Research Community (UMERC) Conference, Portland, OR, September 2022 (Abstract).
R. Vivekanandan, D. Chang, G. A. Hollinger, “Model predictive control for underwater vehicle rendezvous and docking with a wave energy converter,” in Proc. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation Workshop on Reliable AI for Marine Robotics: Challenges and Opportunities (IROS), virtual, October, 2021 (Abstract).