Varun Lakshmanan

Varun Lakshmanan

M.Eng Robotics @ University of Maryland

About Me

Hi, I’m Varun!

I’m a robotics engineer who’s genuinely passionate about building smarter systems and solving real-world problems. My journey started in mechanical engineering at Panimalar Institute of Technology, Chennai, and since then, I’ve transitioned into robotics with a strong focus on autonomy and intelligent control. I’m currently pursuing my Master’s in Robotics at the University of Maryland, where I’ve been diving deep into areas like UAVs, motion planning, and robot learning.

Along the way, I’ve developed hands-on experience in perception, Natural Language Processing, and human–robot interaction and everything that helps bridge the gap between how humans think and how robots operate. Whether it's simulating robots in complex environments or building actual navigation systems, I enjoy the challenge of turning technical ideas into something that works in the real world.

I'm always up for collaborating on innovative projects that push the envelope. Let’s connect and explore how robotics can make a real impact.

📄 Download My CV

Education

University of Maryland Logo

Master of Engineering (M.Eng) in Robotics

University of Maryland

College Park, Maryland, United States

August 2023 - Present

Panimalar Institute of Technology Logo

Bachelor of Engineering (B.E) in Mechanical Engineering

Panimalar Institute of Technology

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

August 2018 - July 2022

Projects

Project 8 GIF

Perception Based Robot Navigation

This project involves developing a perception system for a TurtleBot3 robot to navigate in a dynamic environment. The perception system uses OpenCV to detect and track objects in the environment and provides the robot with the necessary information to navigate safely.
Project 1 GIF

Multi-Robot Navigation in Dynamic Environments Using Centralized and Decentralized Monte Carlo Tree Search

Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) for multi-robot navigation in a dynamic environment. The simulation features four TurtleBot3 Waffle robots in a Gazebo world that includes moving obstacles, making the task more challenging.
Project 2 GIF

Performance Analysis of Dueling Double DQN on TurtleBot3 for Navigation in Dynamic Environments

This project evaluates and compares the Dueling Double Deep Q-Network (Dueling Double DQN) against Vanilla Deep Q-Network (DQN) for navigation in a dynamic Gazebo simulation environment.
Project 3 GIF

Adaptive Text-to-Command Translation for Robot Navigation

Autonomous Mobile Robot Navigation by integrating Natural Language Processing (NLP) for command-based navigation in a simulated environment.
Project 4 GIF

A* Algorithm Implementation for a Rigid Robot

Implementation of A* Algorithm for a TurtleBot3 to navigate successfully through the custom made environment in Gazebo.
Project 5 GIF

Alpha - Mobile Pick and Place Manipulator

This project involves designing a mobile pick-and-place manipulator in SolidWorks and simulating it in Gazebo using Teleop, Open-loop controllers, and Inverse Kinematics.
Project 6 GIF

Gesture-Based Control in Assistive Technology

Gesture-based control for assistive technology using Google's Mediapipe Library to process hand gestures from a webcam. The recognized gestures are mapped to control DexHand in ROS2 simulation and a TurtleBot for intuitive robotic interactions.
Project 7 GIF

Performance Analysis of Variants RRT Path Planning Algorithm

This Project involves comparison of performance of different variants of RRT Path Planning algorithms in 2D and implementing them to a TurtleBot3 in gazebo simulation environment by using a pid controller to check their performance on 3D simulation.
Project 9 GIF

Motion Planning of PANDA Robot Using MoveIt

This project showcases a ROS 2 simulation of a Panda robot with essential configurations for a complete pick-and-place workflow. It moves from a default position, picks an object, places it in a designated location, and returns to the default pose—all within a MoveIt-based environment. This setup is ideal for anyone looking to explore motion planning, grasping, and advanced manipulation in ROS 2.

Technical Skills

Programming Languages

CAD Software

Tools & Libraries

Robotics Frameworks

Simulation Software

Machine Learning Frameworks

Let's Connect

Email varunlakshmanan150@gmail.com
LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/varunlakshmanan11
GitHub https://github.com/varunlakshmanan11
Location

College Park, Maryland, USA

Send Me a Message