Robotics · Controls · Autonomous Systems

Bharath Mohan

Hi there, I am Bharath, an MEng student at UC Berkeley building intelligent systems that move through the real world, from autonomous marine vessels to drone fleets to walking humanoids. I bring deep experience in control systems, applied machine learning, and embedded hardware to make robots that actually work.

37.8719° N, 122.2585° W
Berkeley, California
MEng '26 — UC Berkeley

Selected Work

Systems I've designed, built, and validated — from simulation to hardware.

Energy-Aware Drone Fleet Coordination

HiPeRLab, UC Berkeley · 2025–26
In Progress

Built a data-driven energy prediction pipeline for quadrotor fleets using real-world telemetry. Compared RNN, LSTM, Bi-LSTM, and Transformer architectures to model nonlinear flight-energy dynamics.

95% prediction accuracy (R²) · Sim-to-real validation framework
Python PyTorch Transformers LSTM Sim-to-Real
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Autonomous Surface Vessel - Waypoint Tracking & Control

IIT Madras · 2024–25
Completed

Developed a full autonomy stack for a surface vessel: 6-DoF maneuvering dynamics, Extended Kalman Filter for state estimation, PID heading control, and waypoint tracking via Integral Line-of-Sight.

Hardware-validated on physical ASV · Full ROS integration
ROS Python EKF PID Control LoS Guidance
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Hydrofoil System - Design, Optimization & Active Control

IIT Madras + ASME OMAE 2025 · Published
Published

Led design and control of a hydrofoil vessel from concept to hardware. Built a 3-DoF maneuvering model, implemented LQR for active ride control, and achieved stable foilborne performance at 19.4 knots.

Drag reduced from 7.47 kN → 812 N · Stable at 19.4 knots · 0° pitch, 0.5 m ride height
MATLAB LQR Dynamics Modeling CFD Hardware
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Multi-Terrain Humanoid Locomotion

UC Berkeley · 2025–Present
Completed

Training a Unitree G1 humanoid to walk across varied terrains using PPO-based reinforcement learning in MuJoCo Playground. Exploring sim-to-real transfer and terrain-adaptive locomotion policies.

Reinforcement Learning PPO MuJoCo Python
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EDM Theremin - Embedded Real-Time Audio Synthesis

UC Berkeley · 2026
In Progress

Building a microcontroller-based instrument inspired by the theremin. Implementing embedded firmware for real-time audio sampling, signal mixing, and visualization driven by proximity sensing on ESP32.

ESP32 Embedded C LabVIEW Signal Processing Hardware
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Multi-Agent Coordination & Consensus

UC Berkeley · Spring 2026
Upcoming

Upcoming project exploring multi-agent control and consensus protocols, likely incorporating reinforcement learning for decentralized coordination. Details coming soon.

Multi-Agent Systems RL Consensus
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Where I've Built Things

Hydrofoil R&D Lead

IIT Madras, Dept. of Ocean Engineering · Jul 2024 – May 2025

Led a team through the full lifecycle of a hydrofoil vessel — design, controls, and manufacturing. Owned milestones, resources, and delivery. Acted as primary stakeholder liaison, presenting technical outcomes and guiding team direction.

New-Product R&D Intern

SAVTOA Software Technologies, Trivandrum · May - Jul 2024

Engineered a hydrofoil system that boosted vessel speed by 87% and cut drag by 35%. Developed predictive angle-of-attack control and optimized foil geometry. Preliminary design adopted for one of India's first autonomous hydrofoil vessels.

Head of Product Design

Centre for Innovation, IIT Madras · Jun 2022 - May 2024

Led a 40+ member organization across 4 concurrent product initiatives. Directed an agri-tech product that secured 2 design patents and won 2 national competitions. Served as product strategist for 3 software projects.

Shipbuilding Engineering Intern

Cochin Shipyard Ltd., Ernakulam · Dec 2023 - Jan 2024

Rotated across Ship Design and Production. Analyzed block fabrication workflows including CNC cutting, welding, and structural assembly. Assisted with structural alignment validation and QA inspections.

Academic Foundation

University of California, Berkeley

MEng in Mechanical Engineering - Control of Robotic & Autonomous Systems
Expected May 2026
Advanced Control Systems Robotic Locomotion Multi-Agent Systems Microprocessor-Based Systems Statistics & Data Science

Indian Institute of Technology Madras

B.Tech with Honours - Naval Architecture & Ocean Engineering
GPA: 9.16/10 · Department Rank: 3/70+
Class NK-100 Award (by Nippon Kaiji Kyokai for best undergraduate research project) · Vedam Design Award (best all-around student) · Prof. K Gopinath and Padmini Gopinath Prize (Highest CGPA)

Technical Toolkit

Languages

  • Python
  • C++ / C (Embedded)
  • MATLAB

Robotics & Controls

  • ROS / ROS2
  • MuJoCo
  • Control Theory (PID, LQR, EKF)
  • Motion Planning

ML & Data

  • PyTorch
  • Reinforcement Learning
  • ML for Robotics and Control
  • Sim-to-Real Transfer

Hardware & Tools

  • ESP32 / Microcontrollers
  • LabVIEW
  • SolidWorks / CAD
  • Git / Linux

Research

Design, Optimization and Control of a Hydrofoil System for High-Performance Marine Vessels

ASME OMAE 2025 · Vancouver, Canada

Presented a comprehensive framework for hydrofoil vessel design integrating 3-DoF dynamics modeling, LQR-based active ride control, and experimental validation achieving stable foilborne performance.

Let's Build Something

I'm actively looking for full-time roles in robotics, autonomous systems, and controls engineering starting Summer 2026.