A Unified Multitask Cross-Modal Representation Learning Method for Visual, Tactile, and Linguistic Grasping [J]
Information Fusion2026
Clare Boothe Luce Assistant Professor of Robotics and Autonomous Systems
Madi Babaiasl, Ph.D.
I build robots for assistance, rehabilitation, agriculture, and education in the Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Department at Saint Louis University, where I direct the Mecharithm Lab. The work sits at the intersection of robot kinematics and control, machine learning, computer vision, and human–robot interaction, and it is carried out with the undergraduate and graduate researchers in the lab.
The Mecharithm Lab, Saint Louis University
Current Research
Systems and robots for assistive, rehabilitation, agricultural, and educational purposes. Full project detail is on the lab website.
Research Focus
The group develops safe and efficient human–robot interaction for assistive and rehabilitation robots, human intention detection, automation of agricultural procedures, and better ways to teach robotics, mechatronics, and artificial intelligence.
This work draws on robotics, machine learning, control theory, artificial intelligence, game development, psychology, physical therapy, agriculture, and education.
Active Threads
- Assistive manipulation. Natural language and vision-driven control of robot arms and wheelchair-mounted manipulators for individuals with limited mobility.
- Intent recognition. Transformer models over EMG and EEG signals to distinguish real from imagined motor intent.
- Shared autonomy. Commit-readiness models over EEG, EMG, and eye-tracking for safe assistive manipulation.
- Agricultural robotics. Quadruped platforms for early detection of crop pests, and computational systems for agricultural structural modeling.
- Robotics education. Open course material on screw-theory kinematics, modern robotics, and mechatronic system design.
Research Videos
Assistive robot arm controlled through natural language
WheelArm: manipulation and navigation on a wheelchair-mounted platform
Vision-aided inverse kinematics control with ROS 2
Joining the Lab
Open positions are also advertised through LinkedIn and the lab website.
Who Should Write
Contact me by email if you are:
- An undergraduate or master's student enrolled at SLU looking for research experience in robotics.
- An applicant to a Ph.D. program at SLU who would like to be advised by me.
Include your CV and links to publications, a website, or a GitHub page where applicable.
Writing a Useful Email
- Describe your research and projects coherently, then connect them to the work in this lab.
- Support the description with photographs and, above all, video.
- Highlight publications that came out of your research.
- Show independence and self-teaching: internships, clubs with hands-on work, projects you started yourself.
Skills and Qualities
- A team player who is positive, creative, organized, and principle-centered.
- A solid foundation in robotics: kinematics, dynamics, control, and perception.
- Proficiency in at least one programming language, Python preferred, otherwise C++ or MATLAB.
- Familiarity with the Robot Operating System (ROS).
- Familiarity with machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing, and AI algorithms for intelligent and adaptive robotic systems.
- Experience integrating sensors such as cameras, depth sensors, and force sensors, and processing the resulting data.
- Knowledge of software development principles, software architecture, and version control.
- A strong research record shown by publications, together with analytical thinking and skill in experiment design and data analysis.
- Photography and videography skills are a plus.
Doctoral Research
Fracture-directed steerable needles, Washington State University, advised by Prof. John P. Swensen.
Fracture-Directed Steerable Needles
Fracture-directed steerable needles are a class of needle that reaches a target by first creating a fracture in the soft tissue and then following it with a superelastic needle, with applications in surgery and biopsy.
The work produced kinematic models based on screw theory, a waterjet steering system, a finite-element and closed-form model of cut depth in soft tissue, and a patent, Fracture-directed steerable needles (US 11,103,278).
Needle Steering Videos
Waterjet needle steering system
Duty cycling to improve steerability and radius of curvature
Predicting depth of cut of a waterjet in soft tissue
Master's Research and Projects
Mechatronics engineering, University of Tabriz.
Rehabilitation Systems
3-DOF shoulder rehabilitation robot
Hand tremor suppression device
Motor driver for a 6-DOF surgical robot
Mobile and Legged Platforms
Six-legged ant robot
Shrimp rover
Segway two-wheeled robot
Teaching, Mentoring, and Entrepreneurship
Course wikis are public and include lecture notes, assignments, and lab material.
Courses and Roles
Kinematics of Robotic Manipulators: A Modern Approach (MENG 5930, 4930) Modern Robotics (MENG 5930, 4930) Mechatronic System Design (MENG 2400)
Founder, Mecharithm
Graduate teaching and research assistant, Washington State University
Lecture Playlists
Modern robotics lecture series
Mechatronic system design
Screw theory and robot kinematics
ROS and robot programming
Student projects and lab demonstrations
Publications and Recognition
Selected entries, six at a time. [J] marks a journal article and [C] a conference paper. The complete list is on Google Scholar.
Publications
Honors, Awards, and Media
Grants and Fellowships
Co-investigator, NSF MRI Track 1: development of a computational system for agricultural structural modeling and analysis. PI Abigail Stylianou.
Clare Boothe Luce Professor of Robotics and Autonomous Systems, Henry Luce Foundation.
SLU Research Institute award.
Principal investigator, FIRE Grant for Undergraduate Research, WheelArm project, with co-investigators Hadi Akbarpour and Flavio Esposito. Four consecutive semesters of funding.
Co-investigator, AI for Medicine Seed Grant, bio-inspired 3D perception algorithms on neuromorphic architectures, with Hadi Akbarpour and Jafar Kafaei.
Chaifetz Fellowship, creating an entrepreneurship-themed capstone project.
Co-investigator, FIRE Grant for Undergraduate Research, implantable and wearable solutions for quadriceps rehabilitation, with principal investigator Koyal Garg.
Paid undergraduate research assistants through the SURGE program.
NSF travel grants to attend the 2024 and 2025 NSF FRR–NRI principal investigator meetings as an aspiring PI.
Luce Foundation travel grant, Clare Boothe Luce Program for Women in STEM annual conference.
Media Coverage
A Day in the Life of a Robotics Engineer, Society of Women Engineers blog.
Women in Computer Vision, RSIP Vision Magazine.
Cover of the MME Department and the Robotics and Autonomous Systems Initiative magazines at Washington State University.
Steerable needle research in WSU Insider.
Steerable needle research in the Daily Evergreen.
Awards and Honors
SSE Excellence in Teaching Innovation Award, School of Science and Engineering, Saint Louis University. Selected through peer nomination.
Faculty Excellence Award, Student Government Association, Saint Louis University. Selected on student nominations for teaching, mentorship, research, and service.
Junior Faculty Public Works Award, Office of the Vice President for Research, Saint Louis University, for the YouTube channel Mecharithm. Selected from nearly 90 nominations.
Faculty mentor to two winning teams at the SLU New Venture Accelerator: the MORPH robotic car with structured lesson plans, and implantable and wearable solutions for quadriceps rehabilitation.
Best Pitch Award, Entrepreneurial Mindset in Robotics and Mechatronics Courses workshop, KEEN National Conference.
The Mecharithm Lab is featured in Computer Vision Magazine.
Earlier Honors
Wanda Munn Scholarship, SWE Eastern Washington Section, for academic achievement and engineering potential.
Travel awards for robotics conferences, including ISMR 2019 and BioRob 2018.
Travel grant, Society of Women Engineers annual conference (WE18).
Second rank among 42 mechatronics engineering graduate students, School of Engineering Emerging Technologies, University of Tabriz.
Top 0.2 percent of 300,000 contestants in the national mathematics and physics university entrance examination, Iran.
Invited Talks and Presentations
Recent
Girl Talks, VEX Robotics World Championship
Lost and Found: Toward Robust Sensor Fusion for Robot Navigation
Accompanying Youth to Create a Hope-Filled Future
Using NLP and Robotics in Healthcare: Assisting Individuals with Limited Mobility
Neuromorphic Systems for Predictive Fall Prevention in Parkinson's Disease
Intuitive Human–Robot Interaction for Assistive Robotics
Intuitive Human–Robot Interaction for Assistive Robotics
Engineering the Future with Mechatronics and Algorithms
Conference and Earlier
Duty Cycling to Improve Steerability, and Predicting the Depth of Cut of the Waterjet in Soft Tissue Waterjet Needle Steering: Design, Modeling, and Path Planning Resultant Radius of Curvature of Stylet-and-Tube Steerable Needles
Waterjet-Assisted Needle Steering for Medical Applications
Waterjet Steerable Needles
Sliding Mode Control of an Exoskeleton Robot for Upper-Limb Rehabilitation
Mechanical Design, Simulation, and Nonlinear Control of a New Exoskeleton Robot