Chopra, Nikhil
Professor
Mechanical Engineering
Electrical and Computer Engineering
The Institute for Systems Research
Maryland Robotics Center
Maryland Applied Graduate Engineering
Electrical and Computer Engineering
The Institute for Systems Research
Maryland Robotics Center
Maryland Applied Graduate Engineering
2149 Glenn L. Martin Hall
Nikhil Chopra received his Bachelor of Technology (Honors) degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India, in 2001 and his Ph.D. degree in Systems and Entrepreneurial Engineering in 2006 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He was a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Coordinated Science Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 2006-2007. He is a full Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and is affiliated with the Institute for Systems Research at the University of Maryland.
Dr. Chopra's research interests are in developing a fundamental understanding of control of networked autonomous systems. The work is motivated by applications in networked control of robotic systems and mixed human-robot teams.
He was awarded the William A. Chittenden Award for outstanding graduate research and the Vodafone Graduate Fellowship in 2003. Co-Chair, IEEE RAS Technical Committee on Telerobotics, Reviewer for IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, IEEE Transactions on Robotics, IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology, Automatica, SIAM Journal on Control and Optimization, Asian Journal of Control and Mechatronics.
Education
- Postdoctoral Research Associate, Coordinated Science Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006-2007.
- Ph.D., Systems and Entrepreneurial Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006.
- Bachelor of Technology (Honors), Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India, 2001.
Honors and awards
William A. Chittenden Award for outstanding graduate research and the Vodafone Graduate Fellowship, 2003.
Professional memberships
- IEEE
- ASME
- Co-Chair, IEEE RAS Technical Committee on Telerobotics
- Reviewer for IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, IEEE Transactions on Robotics, IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology, Automatica, SIAM Journal on Control and Optimization, Asian Journal of Control and Mechatronics
Dynamics and control, robotics, control of networked autonomous systems; control of mixed human-robot teams; machine learning
2017
- T. Hatanaka, N. Chopra, J. Yamauchi, and M. Fujita, M, "A Passivity-Based Approach to Human–Swarm Collaboration and Passivity Analysis of Human Operators," In Trends in Control and Decision-Making for Human–Robot Collaboration Systems (pp. 325-355). Springer International Publishing, 2017.
2016
- Y. Dong, N. Gupta, and N. Chopra. "Content modification attacks on consensus seeking multi-agent system with double-integrator dynamics." Chaos: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Nonlinear Science 26.11 (2016): 116305.
2015
- T. Hatanaka, N. Chopra, M. Fujita, and M.W. Spong, Passivity-Based Control and Estimation in Networked Robotics, Springer, 2015.
2014
- P. Tallapragada and N. Chopra, “Decentralized Event-Triggering for Control of Nonlinear Systems,” IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, Vol. 59, No.12, pp.3312-3324, Dec. 2014.
2013
- Y-C. Liu and N. Chopra, “Synchronization of Networked Mechanical Systems with Communication Delays and Human Input,” ASME Journal of Dynamic Systems, Measurement, and Control, Vol. 135, No. 4, 2013.
- L. Sabattini, N. Chopra, and C. Secchi, “Decentralized Connectivity Maintenance for Cooperative Control of Mobile Robotic Systems,” International Journal of Robotics Research, Vol. 32, No.12, pp. 1411-1423, 2013.
- L. Sabattini, N. Chopra, and C. Secchi, “Decentralized Connectivity Maintenance for Cooperative Control of Mobile Robotic Systems,” International Journal of Robotics Research, Vol. 32, No.11, September 2013.
- P. Tallapragada and N. Chopra, “On Event-Triggered Tracking for Nonlinear Systems,” IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, Vol. 58, No. 9, pp. 2343-2348, 2013.
2012
- N. Chopra, "Output Synchronization on Strongly Connected Graphs," IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, Accepted, 2012.
2009
- N. Chopra and M.W. Spong, "On Exponential Synchronization of Kuramoto Oscillators," IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, Vol. 52, No. 2, pp. 353 – 357, 2009.
2008
- N. Chopra, P. Berestesky, and M.W. Spong, "Bilateral Teleoperation over Unreliable Communication Networks," IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology, Vol. 16, No. 2, pp. 304-313, 2008.
- N. Chopra, M.W. Spong, and R. Lozano, "Synchronization of Bilateral Teleoperators with Time Delay," Automatica, Vol. 44, No. 8, pp. 2142-2148, 2008.
2006
- N. Chopra and M.W. Spong, "Passivity-Based Control of Multi-Agent Systems," in Advances in Robot Control, From Everyday Physics to Human-Like Movements, Sadao Kawamura and Mikhail Svinin, Eds., pp. 107-134, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 2006.
- N. Chopra, M.W. Spong, R. Ortega, and N.E. Barabanov, "On Tracking Performance in Bilateral Teleoperation," IEEE Transactions on Robotics, Vol. 22, pp. 861-866, 2006.
Congratulations May 2023 ISR graduates!
Here's a list of May graduates with ISR ties---at all degree levels.ISR-affiliated graduates, December 2022
ISR congratulates these students, all advised by ISR faculty!MRC Faculty and Researchers to Present 15 Papers at International Robotics Conference - IROS 2022
15 MRC faculty and researchers to present 15 papers at IROS 2022New system uses machine learning to detect ripe strawberries and guide harvests
Farmers could use the system with computer vision and agricultural robots to reduce waste and increase efficiency.Congratulations ISR Spring 2022 graduates!
We congratulate graduates at all levels who have ISR advisors!Packy, Suriyarachchi, Thompson, Weerakoon, and Young are 2022-2023 MRC GRA Recipients
The MRC Graduate Assistantship Program is open to mid-career UMD Ph.D. students with Maryland Robotics Center advisors.Improving electric scooter-pedestrian safety with better modeling
Researchers with UMD ties develop a modiifed social force model to predict how pedestrians interact with micro-mobility vehicles.Congratulations to our December 2021 ISR graduates!
ISR advisors graduated 22 Ph.D., 2 M.S., and 4 M.S.S.E. new alumni in December!ISR faculty leading, playing key roles in ARL cooperative agreement
The $68M 'ARTIAMAS' research agreement features faculty from UMD and UMBC.UMD Researchers to Have a Strong Showing at ICRA 2021
University of Maryland researchers will present 15 papers at the IEEE International Conference on Robotis and Automation (ICRA 2021) to held on May 30 to June 5, 2021.In memoriam: Dr. Radhakisan Baheti, NSF ECCS Program Director
Dr. Baheti passed away in March and will be greatly missed by ISR, ECE and the Clark School.Stretchable, soft sensing skins for robots
Such skins could equip soft robots with integrated sensing and estimation.MRC Faculty and Researchers to Present 16 Papers at International Robotics Conference - IROS 2020
International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems - From 25 October 2020 until 29 November 2020Maryland engineers receive $10M to transform shellfish farming
The team will help farmers tap the economic potential and environmental benefits of shellfish aquaculture.Nikhil Chopra promoted to full professor
The ISR-affiliated faculty member works in control theory and robotics.Maryland Robotics Center launches a new postdoctoral fellowship program
The program will foster multidisciplinary collaborations among Maryland Robotics Center faculty.Haptic Safety for Unmanned Vehicles
UMD research advances networked control and virtual reality for added safety.Nikhil Chopra wins $380K NSF award for robotics
Chopra will investigate the resilience of human-controlled robotic networks to cyber attacks.Nikhil Chopra is PI for NSF EAGER grant for networked 3D printers
The research will develop a fundamental understanding of optimal job assignment in networked 3D printers.Chopra Co-Authors New Book
Associate Professor Nikhil Chopra co-authors Passivity-Based Control and Estimation in Networked Robotics.UMD Robot Visits White House
Grad student Bryan Hays and NAO robot volunteer to teach programming to K-12 students.UAE students, Northrop Grumman engineers tour robotics laboratories
Visitors were in town for the annual AUVSI conference.Nikhil Chopra named to editorial board of leading systems and control journal
Chopra will be an associate editor of IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control.Nikhil Chopra promoted to associate professor with tenure
ISR-affiliated faculty member specializes in networked dynamical systems.Chopra is principal investigator for NSF nonlinear system tracking control grant
The research will enhance the tracking performance of robotic systems under sensor constraints.Miniature Robotics REU students give final presentations
Ten undergrads from around the country give talks on their summer projects.Maryland Robotics Center featured on live TV broadcast
Robots from five research groups help promote Maryland Day activities.Nikhil Chopra receives NSF grant for wireless sensor and robotic networks
Researcher will investigate fundamental issues in control and distributed coordination.REU students spending summer in research
The 12 undergraduate students are participating in NSF's Research Experiences for Undergraduates program.Chopra, Cleaveland, Kanold join ISR this fall
Faculty bring expertise in control, neuroscience and concurrent and distributed systems.- ARTIAMAS Cooperative Agreement
- USDA NIFA: Transforming shellfish farming with smart technology and management practices for sustainable production
- NSF: Resilient Control of Human Controlled Robotic Networks
- Tracking Control of Nonlinear Systems Under Sensing, Computational, and Communication Constraints
- NSF CMMI: Mechanical Phenotyping of Cells: Haptics-Enabled Atomic Force Microscopy
- Fundamental Advances in Control of Wireless Sensor and Robotic Networks