About

Hello! I’m Srikanth, an Autonomy Engineer and Roboticist experienced in ROS2, C++ and Python. I am a graduate of the M.S. in Robotics program at Northwestern University where I had the opportunity to dive into the field of mobile robotics with a focus in sensing, navigation, and autonomy.

I really enjoy studying how robots see and move in the world which is what brought me to my final project researching various autonomous exploration algorithms. As a result of this project, I wanted to share my code with others so that anyone can quickly and easily deploy Frontier Exploration on a mobile robot. To see the project, please check it out HERE!

Professional Experience

CMU Software Engineering Institute 01/2025 - Present Associate Autonomy Engineer

Hitachi Rail STS 06/2022 - 08/2023 Associate Hardware Engineer

Gather AI 11/2020 - 06/2022 Field Ops Engineer (Robotics)

Education

Northwestern University 09/2023 - 12/2024 M.S. in Robotics

University of Pittsburgh 08/2015 - 04/2020 B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Minor in Chemical Engineering

My Robotics Story

Getting Started

I first experienced robotics in grade school creating combat robots using the LEGO Mindstorm NXT system. I enjoyed the blend of hardware and software challenges that pushed me to be more creative in my approach. Soon after, I participated in Carnegie Mellon’s “Andrew’s Leap” summer program making robots using Arduino boards. During this program, I made laser tag blasters, maze solving robots, and a system that identified firefly species by the flash pattern. This exposure to real hardware and software sparked an ongoing interest in the field.

My First Real Robot!

This robot was my first mobile robot written with real code. It runs a simple wall following algorithm on an Arduino Uno board sitting on a laser cut chassis. It uses infrared sensors to navigate with a bump sensor to acknowledge if it touches the righthand wall. While this robot was rudimentary in execution, it inspired my interest in mobile robots!

Professional Experiences

Gather AI

Professionally, I began working at Gather AI, a robotics startup committed to solving the data needs of logistics companies through drone-based inventory. While there, I had the privilege of fulfilling many roles in order to help the company succeed. I established processes and authored documentation that allowed Gather to reduce deployment times from months to days. I also was able to develop an autonomous charge pad that allowed customers to scan thousands of locations during off-shift hours without any human intervention. Lastly, I was heavily involved in creating tools to ensure that new features were backwards compatible as the company expanded in capabiliity and customer base.

Check out this video to see the customer success!

Hitachi Rail STS

At Hitachi I designed signals, switch machines, and other ground equipment necessary to keep trains on the right tracks at the right time. Along with these designs, I authored much of the techical documentation associated with these designs to ensure fidelity of the design, manufacturing, and assembly. The most notable projects I worked on include a second generation switch machine, Hitachi’s flagship product, and 6-in LED signals. These projects required significant testing, documentation, and communication with clientele making them high-profile projects within the company.

Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute

As a part of my MS in Robotics experience, I elected to do an internship to further expand my skills and network in the field. I was fortunate enough to work as an Autonomy Lab Intern within the Artificial Intelligence Division at the Software Engineering Institute (SEI). While there, I brought up a robotics development environment for engineers to prototype work using ROS2 and Nvidia IsaacSim. After a productive and engaging summer, I decided to return as a full time Autonomy Engineer to continue the reasearch and development goals of the Autonomy Lab!

Leadership

Rowing

For 9 years, I competed in the sport of rowing, and had the privilege to compete at the high school, collegiate, and club levels of racing. These years taught me lessons in consistency, grit, and time management, all of which were prerequisites for the medals earned. During my time competing, I was granted the honor of Team Captain both in high school and college for my commitment to the team and efforts to lead by example. I also was chosen to be my college team’s Equipment Manager due to my organizational skills and technical understanding of repairs, purchasing, and care for the equipment in our fleet.

Coaching

Apart from strict competition, I also had the opportunity to take up coaching for 6 years at the high school and collegiate levels. Teaching and sharing knowledge is a passion of mine, and having the ability to shape young athletes into fierce competitors has been a real treat. At the high school level, I have been able guide students to recruitment at colleges of their choice. At the collegiate level, I have been able to push my athletes to compete on the national level against their fellow students. Seeing these athletes compete and win against their peers has brought me a lot of joy both from the impact I have been able to make as well as from the feelings I know we have shared during races. Igniting curiosity and a willingness to succeed is a trait I hope to bring to any team in which I participate, and while I focus solely on robotics, I am excited for those opportunities that lie ahead.