Contact

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Education

• 2018 - 2023: Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
• 2014 - 2018: B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Troy, NY

Projects

• Simulation and Robotics for Accelerating Minimally Invasive Training and for Enhanced Skill Assessment
• In-Situ Collaborative Robotics in Confined Spaces

Research Interests

• Collaborative robotics
• Continuum robotics
• Human-robot interaction
• Robot safety
• Surgical robotics
• Mechanisms

Awards

• First Place. 2021 ASME Student Mechanism and Robotics Design Competition (SMRDC). [link]

Peer-Reviewed Journal Papers

• R. Natarajan, G.L.H. Johnston, N. Simaan, M. Likhachev, and H Choset, "Long Horizon Planning through Contact using Discrete Search and Continuous Optimization," IEEE Transactions on Robotics. In revisions.
• G.L.H. Johnston, N. Shihora, and N. Simaan, "A Modal-Space Formulation for Momentum Observer Contact Estimation and Effects of Uncertainty for Continuum Robots," International Journal of Robotics Research. doi: 10.1177/0278364925134282. Accepted. [arXiv]
• G.L.H. Johnston, A.L. Orekhov, and N. Simaan, "Design Considerations and Robustness to Parameter Uncertainty in Wire-Wrapped Cam Mechanisms," ASME Journal of Mechanisms and Robotics. Feb. 2023. 16(2): 021001 [video][arXiv] 
• C. Abah, A.L. Orekhov, G.L.H. Johnston, and N. Simaan, "A Multi-Modal Sensor Array for Human-Robot Interaction and Confined Spaces Exploration Using Continuum Robots." IEEE Sensors Journal, 2022. 22 (4), 3585-3594. [video]

Peer-Reviewed Conference Papers

• A. Shahbazi, K. Pereira, J. Heiselman, E. Akbari, A. Benson, S. Seifi, G.L.H. Johnston, X. Liu, E.
  Terpstra, A. Draaisma, J.J. Severs, N. Simaan, M. Miga, and S. Kolouri, “Neural-Augmented Kelvinlet:
  Real-Time Soft Tissue Deformation with Multiple Graspers.” The 28th International Conference on
  Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention (MICCAI 2025). Invited for rebuttal.
• J. Atoum, G.L.H. Johnston, N. Simaan, and J.Y. Wu, “Multi-Modal Gesture Recognition from Video
  and Surgical Tool Pose Information via Motion Invariants,” 2025 International Symposium on Medical
  Robotics (ISMR). Accepted. [arXiv]
• M. Veliky, G. L. H. Johnston, A. Yildiz and N. Simaan, "A Feasibility Study of a Soft, Low-Cost, 6-Axis Load Cell for Haptics," 2024 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 2024, pp. 2339-2346, doi: 10.1109/IROS58592.2024.10802018. [arXiv]
• G. Del Giudice, G.L.H. Johnston, and N. Simaan. "Design Considerations for 3RRR Parallel Robots with Lightweight Static-Balancing." ASME 2023 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference (IDTEC/CIE). [arXiv]
• A.L. Orekhov, G.L.H. Johnston, and N. Simaan, "Task and Configuration Space Compliance of Continuum Robots via Lie Group and Modal Shape Formulations," 2023 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS). [arXiv]
• R. Natarajan, G.L.H. Johnston, N. Simaan, M. Likhachev, and H Choset, "Torque-Limited Manipulation Planning through Contact by Interleaving Graph Search and Trajectory Optimization," IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA). 2023. [arXiv]
• G.L.H. Johnston, A.L. Orekhov, and N. Simaan. "Kinematic Modeling and Compliance Modulation of
  Redundant Manipulators Under Bracing Constraints." IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), May 2020.
• C. Abah, A.L. Orekhov, G.L.H. Johnston, P. Yin, H. Choset, and N. Simaan. "A Multi-modal Sensor Array for Safe Human-Robot Interaction and Mapping." IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA). May 2019. [video]

Conference Abstracts

• G.L.H. Johnston, A. Yildiz, K. Pereria, A. Shahbazi, J. Atoum, J. Heiselman, E. Akbari, A. Benson, X. Liu, E. Terpstra, A. Draaisma, J.J. Severs, R. Kauffmann, J.Y. Wu, S. Kolouri, M.I. Miga, K. Idrees, and N. Simaan, “Towards A Haptically-Enabled Training Platform for Accelerating Laparoscopic Skill Acquisition in Developing Countries” The 36th Annual International Society for Medical Innovation and Technology (SMIT 2025). Washington DC. Accepted. Invited for Conference Talk.

Workshop Presentations 

• R. Natarajan, G.L.H. Johnston, N. Simaan, M. Likhachev, and H Choset, "Long-Horizon Torque-Limited Planning through Contact using Discrete Search and Continuous Optimization" in IROS 2023 Workshop on Leveraging Models for Contact-Rich Manipulation. Accepted for Spotlight Talk. [pdf]
• A. L. Orekhov, G.L.H. Johnston, C. Abah, H. Choset, and N. Simaan, “Towards Collaborative Robots with Sensory Awareness: Preliminary Results Using Multi-Modal Sensing,” in ICRA 2019 Workshop "Physical human-robot interaction: a design focus," May 2019. [video] 

Past Experience

• Summer 2017: Intern, Biorobotics Lab, The Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University,  Pittsburgh, PA
• Summer 2016: NSF REU Student, ARMA Lab, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
• Summer 2015: NSF REU Student, ARMA Lab, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN