Robin Chhabra

Biography

BIOGRAPHY:

Robin Chhabra is a Canada Research Chair, Tier 2, in Autonomous Space Robotics and Mechatronics and the founder and director of the Autonomous Space Robotics and Mechatronics Lab (ASRoM-Lab) in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Carleton University. He received his BASc (2006) from Sharif University of Technology, and his MASc (2008) and PhD (2013) in Mechatronics and Space Robotics – with minor in Mathematics – from the University of Toronto. He then joined the University of Calgary as a postdoc to pursue his research in Geometric Mechanics and Control.  From 2014 to 2017, Robin was a Guidance, Navigation and Control Engineer at MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA). At MDA, he was involved in many leading-edge space programs, where Canada as part of the international community makes contributions to space exploration. Mainly, his research was centred around studying off-nominal behaviour of the Mobile Servicing System (MSS) operating on the International Space Station (ISS) and improving the traction control of the Lunar Exploration Light Rover (LELR). In addition to his research towards increasing the reliability and efficiency of the existing space robotic systems, Robin was contributing to the next generation of space missions, such as ExoMars and Deep-Space Exploration Robotics (DSXR).

RESEARCH INTERESTS:

Robotics

• Dynamical reduction and nonlinear control of underactuated systems
• Nonlinear and affine nonholonomic constraints
• Path planning and control of multibody systems at singularity
• Lie Groupoids for kinematics
• Nonlinear modal analysis of elastic multibody systems
• Orbital perturbations for elastic multibody systems
• Robust and adaptive geometric traction control of nonholonomic systems
• Higher order Lagrangian systems with symmetry

Mechatronics

• Geometric modeling of multi-physics systems
• Multi-objective optimization
• Concurrent design
• Hardware-in-the-loop simulation

RESEARCH APPLICATIONS:

• Light-weight space manipulators for autonomous capture and release
• Space debris removal
• Planetary exploration rovers
• Hierarchical control of space missions

PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS:

Highly qualified applicants in MASc and PhD level with interest in one of the research areas listed above are encouraged to contact me through email. Priority will be given to domestic applicants with controls background, specialized in nonlinear, robust or adaptive controls, and applicants with background in robotics and/or mechatronics. Strong international students with high academic standing and high IELTS/TOEFL score are also encouraged to apply. Exposure to space industry is always an asset. Admitted students will have the opportunity to closely work with leading-edge space industries.

To ensure full consideration, please follow the instructions below:

• Subject of the email should include the degree that you are applying (have applied) for and the area that you are interested in.
• In the body of the email, explicitly mention:
  • Your name,
  • Start date,
  • Your degree(s) information (university, country and GPA – do not convert your GPA),
  • Your work experience (if applicable),
  • Whether you are a domestic or international student,
  • IELTS/TOEFL score (if applicable),
  • Your publications (if applicable),
  • Whether or not you have applied to Carleton University.
• Attach your complete CV, transcript(s) and a sample of your writing in a single PDF file.

JOURNAL ARTICLES:

R. Chhabra, M. R. Emami and Y. Karshon, “Reduction of Hamiltonian Mechanical Systems with Affine Constraints: A Geometric Unification,” ASME Journal of Computational and Nonlinear Dynamics, doi:10.1115/1.4034729, 2016.

L. M. Bates, R. Chhabra and J. Sniatycki, “Elastica as a Dynamical System,” Journal of Geometry and Physics, vol. 110, pp. 348-381, 2016.

R. Chhabra and M. R. Emami, “Symplectic Reduction of Holonomic Open-chain Multi-body Systems with Constant Momentum,” Journal of Geometry and Physics, vol. 89, pp. 82-110, 2015.

R. Chhabra and M. R. Emami, “A Unified Approach to Input-output Linearization and Concurrent Control of Underactuated Open-chain Multi-body Systems with Holonomic and Nonholonomic Constraints,” Journal of Dynamical and Control Systems, vol. 22(1), pp. 129-168, 2016.

R. Chhabra and M. R. Emami, “Nonholonomic Dynamical Reduction of Open-chain Multi-body Systems: A Geometric Approach,” Mechanism and Machine Theory, vol. 82, pp. 231-255, 2014.

R. Chhabra and M. R. Emami, “A Linguistic Approach to Concurrent Design,” Journal of Intelligent and Fuzzy Systems, vol. 28, no. 5, pp. 1985-2001, 2015.

R. Chhabra and M. R. Emami, “A Holistic Approach to Concurrent Engineering and Its Application to Robotics,” Concurrent Engineering: Research and Applications, vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 48-61, 2014.

R. Chhabra and M. R. Emami, “A Generalized Exponential Formula for Forward and Differential Kinematics of Open-chain Multi-body Systems,” Mechanism and Machine Theory, vol. 73, pp. 61-75, 2014.

R. Chhabra and M. R. Emami, “A Holistic Concurrent Design Approach to Robotics using Hardware-in-the-loop Simulation,” Mechatronics, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 335-345, April 2013.

R. Chhabra and M. R. Emami, “Holistic System Modeling in Mechatronics,” Mechatronics, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 166-175, February 2011.