Sriharsha Bhat
Papers
6
Total Citations
120
H-Index
4
About
Sriharsha Bhat is a robotics researcher specializing in autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), with a particular focus on the emerging field of hydrobatics — the agile, efficient maneuvering of underwater robots analogous to aerobatics in aerial vehicles. His work addresses one of the central challenges in marine robotics: enabling AUVs to be simultaneously fast, efficient, and highly maneuverable, despite being underactuated systems with complex nonlinear dynamics. Bhat's most influential contributions include pioneering work on the conceptual and technical foundations of hydrobatics, captured in his widely cited 2018 review paper, and a landmark 2023 study applying nonlinear model predictive control to hydrobatic AUVs, validated through real-world experiments. His 2020 cyber-physical systems paper demonstrated practical field integration of these concepts, bridging theory and deployment. More recently, he has explored reinforcement learning as a control strategy for hydrobatic maneuvering, reflecting his commitment to advancing intelligent autonomy in underwater systems. Beyond vehicle control, Bhat has applied this expertise to practical ocean challenges, including autonomous seaweed farm inspection, highlighting the real-world relevance of his research. With over 120 cumulative citations, his body of work has meaningfully shaped how researchers and engineers approach agile underwater autonomy.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2A System for Autonomous Seaweed Farm Inspection with an Underwater Robot29 citations · 2022
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- 6Hydrobatics: Efficient and Agile Underwater Robots2 citations · 2020