AI & Robotics at our centre focuses on building intelligent, autonomous systems that can sense, learn, and act reliably in complex real‑world environments. Led by Prof. Laxmidhar Behera (Director, IIT Mandi) and Prof. V. Pandu Ranga (School of Mechanical Sciences, IIT Bhubaneswar), the area brings together expertise in control, machine learning, and mechanical design to develop next‑generation robotic platforms.

Our goal is to advance robotics with AI‑driven automation and intelligent decision‑making, enabling machines to work safely alongside humans in industry, infrastructure, healthcare, and field environments. We emphasize robust perception, adaptive control, and data‑driven planning so that robots can operate in unstructured, dynamic settings rather than only in controlled labs.

Key Themes

• Autonomous ground and aerial robots for inspection, monitoring, and logistics
• Machine learning and reinforcement learning for motion planning and control
• Human–robot collaboration, safety, and intuitive interfaces
• Multi‑robot coordination for large‑scale tasks in smart cities and infrastructure