Curriculum Vitae
Education History
Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering
August 2024 - Present (anticipated May 2026)Georgia Institute of Technology
Focus: Perception-Based Learning in Robotics
Research: Developing uncertainty-aware algorithms in 3d vision for reliablilty in downstream tasks
Bachelor of Technology in Aerospace Engineering
July 2020 - May 2024Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
Minors: Machine Learning, Computer Systems, English Literature
Capstone Advisor: Dr. Abhishek
Thesis: Vision-Based Safe Autonomous Landing of VTOLs on Unstable Platform
Research Experience
Graduate Research Assistant
August 2024 - PresentRAIL Lab, Georgia Institute of Technology
Robot Autonomy and Interactive Learning
- Developing algorithms for human-robot interaction and collaborative learning
- Working on perception systems for autonomous robotic platforms
- Implementing differential geometry-based approaches for robot navigation
- Contributing to research on interactive machine learning for robotics applications
Research Assistant
Fall 2024Intelligent Vision and Automation Laboratory (IVALab), Georgia Institute of Technology
Advisor: Dr. Patricio A. Vela
- Developed safe visual navigation algorithms for aerial robots
- Implemented ROS1-based systems for autonomous UAV operations
- Applied Factor Graphs for robust state estimation
- Worked on Scene Reconstruction and Vision-based Pose Estimation
Research Assistant
Fall 2023 - Spring 2024Helicopter and VTOL Laboratory, IIT Kanpur
Advisor: Dr. Abhishek
- Developed software and hardware components for UAV autonomous landing pipeline
- Implemented computer vision algorithms using OpenCV for real-time object detection
- Worked with PX4 flight controller and embedded systems programming
- Designed mechatronic systems for autonomous VTOL operations
Visiting Researcher
Summer 2023Advanced Robotics Optimization and Control Laboratory (AROCL), Carleton University
Advisor: Dr. Chao Shen
- Implemented benchmark localization algorithms on ground robots
- Developed low-cost semantic SLAM integration with LiDAR-based localization
- Worked extensively with ROS1, Gazebo 9, and navigation stack
- Applied AMCL, ICP, and Loop Closure techniques for robust localization
Research Intern
Fall 2022Wireless Sensor Networks Lab, IIT Kanpur
- Developed deep reinforcement learning algorithms for mobile energy transmitter scheduling
- Worked on energy harvesting IoT networks optimization
- Implemented multi-objective data offloading and charging functions
Industry Experience
Perception Research Intern
May 2025 - August 2025Symbotic
- Built an ETL pipeline to collect 700 bot images from warehouses sites & used Amazon Ion logs to create depth ground truth
- Finetuned KITTI pre-trained Monocular Depth Estimation Models using ResNet, KeyPoint Detector and DINOv2 architecture
- Achieved 98.9% Accuracy and 98.1% recall of collision triggering events within 1 ft error proximity for MonoDINO-DETR
Teaching and Mentorship Experience
Graduate Teaching Assistant
Spring 2025CS 3630: Introduction to Robotics and Perception, Georgia Institute of Technology
Instructor: Dr. Sonia Chernova
- Assist students with robotics programming assignments and projects
- Lead lab sessions on robot perception and autonomous navigation
- Grade assignments and provide feedback on student work
Publications
Conference Publications
Vision-Guided Autonomous UAV Landing on Moving Ship
Rahul Rustagi, et al.
2025 AIAA SciTech Conference, Orlando, Florida
Accepted for presentation
Journal Publications
Multi-objective Data Offloading and Charging Function for Mobile IoT Networks
Rahul Rustagi, et al.
IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems II: Express Briefs, 2024
Mobile Energy Transmitter Scheduling in Energy Harvesting IoT Networks using Deep Reinforcement Learning
Rahul Rustagi, et al.
2022 IEEE World Forum on Internet of Things (WF-IoT), 2023
Honors and Awards
Graduate Student
Georgia Institute of Technology
2024-2026
Academic Excellence
IIT Kanpur
2020-2024
Technical Skills
Robotics
- ROS/ROS2
- Gazebo Simulation
- PX4 Flight Controller
- Factor Graphs
- SLAM/Localization
Computer Vision
- OpenCV
- Scene Reconstruction
- Pose Estimation
- Object Detection
- Visual Navigation
Machine Learning
- Deep Reinforcement Learning
- Neural Networks
- Differential Geometry
- Optimization
- Sensor Fusion
Programming
- Python
- C/C++
- MATLAB
- Embedded C
- Linux/Unix
Professional Activities
Conference Reviewing
- IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)
- IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS)
- Robotics: Science and Systems (RSS)