Google Scholar, ResearchGate, LinkedIn

I currently work as a controls engineer at Monarch Tractor in Livermore, California. I received a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington, where I worked at the Autonomous Insect Robotics (AIR) Laboratory advised by Prof. Sawyer Fuller.

My research focus and industry experience include-

  • Design of autonomous robots,
  • Controls Theory,
  • Sensor integration and communication,
  • Robot vision, stereo vision, Optical flow, and
  • Final element analysis (FEA)

Recent work in Media

[March 2020] Meet the Autonomous Insect Robots that will one day swarm the skies [Seeker][paper]

[January 2020] RoboFly: An insect-sized robot that can fly, walk, and drift on water surfaces [TechXplore] [DailyMailUK] [paper]

[July 2019] An Itty-Bitty Robot That Lifts Off Like a Sci-Fi Spaceship [Wired][paper]

[June 2018] The first wireless fly-sized drone [Wireless RoboFly] [IEEE Spectrum] [Economist] [Wired] [CNBC]

Publications

Y. Chukewad, A. Singh, J. James and S. B. Fuller, RoboFly: An insect-sized robot with simplified fabrication that is capable of flight, ground, and water surface locomotion, IEEE Transactions on Robotics (T-RO) [pdf]

Y. Chukewad and S. Fuller, Yaw control of a hovering flapping-wing aerial vehicle with a passive wing hinge, IEEE Robotics and automation Letters (RA-L), 2021. [pdf] [video]

D. Dhingra, Y. Chukewad, and S. B. Fuller, A Device for Rapid, Automated Trimming of Insect-Sized Flying Robots, IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L) 2020. [pdf] [video]

H.K. Hari Prasad*, R. Vaddi*, Y. Chukewad*, E. Dedic, I. Novosselov and S. B. Fuller, A laser-microfabricated electrohydrodynamic thruster for centimeter-scale aerial robots, PLOS ONE (2020) (* equal contributors) [pdf]

Y. Chukewad, A. Singh, J. James and S. B. Fuller, A new robot fly design that is easy to fabricate and capable of flight and ground locomotion, International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) (Madrid, Spain, 2018) [pdf] [video]

S. Balasubramanian, Y. Chukewad, J. James, G. Barrows, and S. B. Fuller, An Insect-Sized Robot That Uses a Custom-Built Onboard Camera and a Neural Network to Classify and Respond to Visual Input, IEEE International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics (BIOROB) (Enschede, the Netherlands, 2018) [pdf]

J. James, V. Iyer, Y. Chukewad, S. Gollakota, and S. B. Fuller, Liftoff of a 190 mg Laser-Powered Aerial Vehicle: The Lightest Wireless Robot to Fly, IEEE Int. Conf. Robotics and Automation (ICRA) (Brisbane, Australia, 2018) [pdf] [video]

2013 and earlier…

A. Sodemann and Y. Chukewad. Comparison of Cartesian and Polar Kinematic Arrangements for Compensation of Scale Effects in Micromilling, Proceedings of the ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (IMECE 2013-65002), San Diego, CA, USA, November 15-21, 2013

Y. Wagh, Y. Chukewad, N. Gupta, and R. Singh, Experimental Investigation of Micro-scale Fiber Laser Based Surface Hardening, Proceedings of 6th ICOMM conference, Tokyo Denki University, Tokyo, March 2011

Abstract:

A. Singh, Y. Chukewad, and S. Fuller, A robot fly design with a low center of gravity folded from a single laminate sheet, Workshop on Foldable Robotics, IEEE Int. Conf. Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) (Vancouver, Canada, 2017)

Teaching Experience

  • Lecturer, University of Washington Bothell (Fall 2020)
  • Instructor, University of Washington Seattle (Fall 2019)
  • Teaching Assistant, University of Washington Seattle

Reviewer

  • IEEE Transaction on Robotics
  • IEEE Access
  • IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters
  • IEEE IROS
  • IEEE ICRA

Talks

  • Yogesh Chukewad, Johannes James, Daksh Dhingra and Vikram Iyer, “Robots at Insect-scale”, (Global Innovation Exchange (GIX)) (July 2019)
  • Yogesh Chukewad, Johannes James and Vikram Iyer, “Robot Autonomy at Insect-scale”, (Microsoft Garage) (June 2018)
  • Yogesh Chukewad, “A biology-inspired robot fly, capable of aerial and ground locomotion”, Nature-Inspired Flight Technologies + Ideas (NIFTI) (November 2017)