Neehal Sharrma

Neehal is a researcher, roboticist, and educator focused on making deep-tech solutions to hard, physical problems increasingly inexpensive and accessible to everyone at home, in the office, out in the field, or on the factory floor. At NBRR, his work encompasses research, operations, and education efforts at the organization, drawing on his diverse background in industry and academia spanning warehouse automation, intelligent agriculture, medical devices, and military marine operations.

An avid love for science fiction media initially led him to pursue a Bachelor of Technology degree in Mechatronics and Automation from the Manipal Institute of Technology, India. After graduation, he worked at Dassault Systèmes as an Industry Process Consultant serving the Indian automobile and aerospace sector. Seeking a break from the corporate life, he transitioned into the field as a systems engineer at an marine robotics startup, collaborating with the Indian Navy and other critical governmental and private entities on a field prototype of a novel autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV).

Rekindling his love for research from his time in the field, he then pursued a Master of Science degree in Robotics Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), where his thesis work — at the intersection of soft robotics, human augmentation, and robot ethics — explored how advancements in soft robotics towards better robot grippers and sensors may translate to better prosthetic limbs and bionic devices, while also considering the broader societal impacts of such technologies.

Outside of NBRR, he serves as the Benevolent Dictator For Life (BDFL) at Open Horizon Robotics (OHR), an open-source group in India democratizing accessible robotics education and supporting student-led deep-tech research and startup communities. He also maintains a personal blog documenting various passion projects, offering topical anecdotes and advice, and reflecting on the larger role of technology in the current age based in speculative ethics and philosophy. In his free time, he loves reading, music, anime/manga and video games, and is always up to date with the newest in internet culture and tech.