Amith Polineni
I'm a mechanical engineering student at UVA with a focus on designing and building robotic systems. Feel free to reach out: [email protected]
Check out my reviews:
reviews
Current Work
Robotics Research
I'm a research intern at the University of Virginia's VICTOR Robotics Lab, where I'm developing a robotic stroller designed for real-world human interaction. My work focuses on integrating pose estimation, LiDAR-based obstacle detection, and predictive motion planning to allow the robot to navigate crowded outdoor sidewalks while maintaining a safe and responsive escorting behavior.
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Mechatronics and Robotics Society (MARS)
I'm part of MARS, a student robotics team at UVA building an autonomous excavation robot for NASA’s Lunabotics competition. Our robot is designed to navigate challenging terrain, excavate lunar regolith simulant, and transport it to a collection zone in a simulated lunar environment.
marsatuva.org
Past Projects
Automated Aquaponics Greenhouse
This project aimed to build a remotely monitored aquaponics system that used water from tilapia tanks to grow leafy greens like lettuce, kale, spinach, and chard. My team designed and constructed a vertical NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) farm equipped with grow lights, automated pumps, and a Raspberry Pi for data collection and remote control. We successfully implemented the structure, automation, and remote communication features, and the system functioned effectively as a hydroponic farm, growing some healthy crops and demonstrating the feasibility of automated sustainable agriculture. The work highlights potential for future scaling and integration of aquaponics with web technologies for urban and resource-limited farming.
technical paper
Other Projects
These projects span a range of hands-on skills I’ve picked up along the way. The screwdriver was milled from aluminum and engraved using a CNC, combining precision with customization. The stool was designed as a flat-pack furniture piece and CNC milled from plywood for easy assembly. The NFC keychains were an experiment in merging 3D printing with simple electronics.
