Kenny Erleben

About

Kenny Erleben is a leading figure in physics-based simulation, whose work bridges computer graphics, robotics, and computational mechanics. His primary research focuses on developing robust numerical methods for simulating contact, friction, and deformable bodies—problems that are notoriously difficult due to their non-smooth, nonlinear nature. Erleben’s major contribution is the introduction of non-smooth Newton methods for deformable multi-body dynamics, a framework that directly solves nonlinear complementarity problems (NCPs) to handle contact and friction with unprecedented stability and accuracy. This work, cited over 80 times, has become a cornerstone for applications ranging from virtual reality training to digital prototyping. He has also advanced primal/dual descent methods for dynamics, clarifying the relationship between force-based and constraint-based formulations, and developed efficient solvers like the projected Gauss-Seidel subspace minimization method for interactive rigid body dynamics. His research on inverse kinematics, including exact Hessian matrix methods and data-driven approaches for soft robots, has further extended his impact into robotics and character animation. With over 200 total citations, Erleben’s validated physical models for soft robotic snakes and his comprehensive surveys on contact simulation have established him as a key innovator in real-time, physically plausible simulation.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Non-smooth Newton Methods for Deformable Multi-body Dynamics

   83 citations · 2019
2. 2
   Primal/Dual Descent Methods for Dynamics

   36 citations · 2020
3. 3
   Contact and friction simulation for computer graphics

   35 citations · 2022
4. 4
   A nonsmooth nonlinear conjugate gradient method for interactive contact force problems

   26 citations · 2010
5. 5
   Solving inverse kinematics using exact Hessian matrices

   19 citations · 2018
6. 6
   A Validated Physical Model For Real-Time Simulation of Soft Robotic Snakes

   13 citations · 2019
7. 7
   Data Driven Inverse Kinematics of Soft Robots using Local Models

   12 citations · 2019
8. 8
   Interactive Rigid Body Dynamics Using a Projected Gauss–Seidel Subspace Minimization Method

   12 citations · 2011
9. 9
   Contact and friction simulation for computer graphics

   10 citations · 2021
10. 10
    Inverse kinematics problems with exact Hessian matrices

    4 citations · 2017

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links