Sridhar Lakshmanan

University of Michigan–Dearborn, Control Vision (United States)

Papers

Total Citations

130

H-Index

About

Sridhar Lakshmanan is a leading researcher in robotics, with a primary focus on continuum and soft robotic systems for manipulation applications. His most impactful work, the 2020 survey "Continuum Robots for Manipulation Applications," has garnered over 124 citations, establishing itself as a key reference in the field. In this comprehensive review, Lakshmanan systematically documents two decades of evolution in bioinspired soft robots, introducing a novel analytical framework based on three design parameters: structure, materials, and actuation. This contribution has helped shape how researchers conceptualize and categorize continuum robots. Earlier in his career, Lakshmanan contributed to practical security robotics through his work on ODIS (Omni-Directional Inspection System), an under-vehicle inspection robot developed in collaboration with the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center. This project demonstrated the real-world application of unmanned ground vehicle technology for counter-terrorism and threat detection. Through his research, Lakshmanan bridges the gap between theoretical robotics principles and practical deployment, making significant contributions to both the foundational understanding of continuum robots and the development of security-focused robotic systems.