Smart Manufacturing
Digital twins, process optimisation and hybrid manufacturing processes.
SMILE Lab
Smart Manufacturing and Intelligent Learning Systems Lab
Welcome to SMILE Lab at IIT Kanpur. We build AI-driven manufacturing systems, intelligent learning tools and resilient engineered systems for Industry 4.0.
We work on
Smart Products, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Industry 4.0, Internet of Things, AI/ML, Digital Twins, Collaborative Robotics and Hybrid Manufacturing.
What we do
Intelligent Systems and Industry 4.0/5.0
AI-driven control, UI/UX design, functionally resilient multi-robot systems, Smart Products, IIoT tools.
Human-Robot Collaboration
Collaborative robots, design for AR/VR and mechatronics.
Latest News
May 2026
Patent granted
A patent was granted on 14th May, 2026 for the developement of "An adaptor for orthogonal transmission of torque". Inventors on this patent include Dr. Amar Kumar Behera, Mr Ankush Kumar Gagat, Mr Shyam Sundar Meher and 4 other students who did the Design Practice course with Dr. Amar Kumar Behera. You can check it out here.
May 2026
M.Des. student graduations
Rahul Raj Singh, Chaitanya Sagar and Ankush Kumar Gagat are graduating with M.Des. degrees. Their defences are scheduled on 25th and 26th May.
May 2026
Practical Training Workshop in Manufacturing Automation and Robotics
SMILE Lab conducted a practical training workshop in manufacturing automation and robotics for participants from MSME Technology Center Kanpur. This workshop was held over 2 days from 12-13 May, 2026 and attracted 29 participants. You can check it out here.
October 2025
Two best paper awards at I-4AM 2026 (IISc Bangalore)
This year started off with 2 best paper awards at the I-4AM 2026 conference at IISc, Bangalore. Thanks to Samir Dash for the excellent joint work towards this, which was based on 2 separate AI-enabled design solutions which were tested on workshops at IIT Kanpur and Cisco Systems. You can check out the awards here.
October 2025
Exciting Update from SMILE Lab! 🤖: Industrial Robot Training
SMILE Lab recently organized a three-day hands-on training session (8th–10th October 2025) on our newly installed KUKA industrial robot. The session was conducted by experts from ELEKTRO LABS and attended by over 20 participants, including faculty, staff, and students. The workshop provided valuable insights into robotic programming, control, and safety operations — marking an important step toward advancing our lab’s capabilities in smart manufacturing and automation research. A big thank you to ELEKTRO LABS for their support and to all participants for their enthusiasm and active engagement! You can see a video from the training session here.
October 2025
New Course Launch: “Design for Industry 4.0 and Industrial Internet of Things”
We’re excited to announce that a recorded course titled “Design for Industry 4.0 and Industrial Internet of Things”, taught by Dr. Amar Behera, will go live on Channel 27 of the Swayam Prabha portal and national DTH educational television channels in November 2025. The course explores how digital technologies, smart systems, and IoT are transforming modern industry—bridging design thinking, automation, and intelligent manufacturing. Stay tuned for broadcast schedules and viewing links on the Swayam Prabha platform. To see the trailer, click here.
September 2025
SMILE Lab Paper Accepted at India–HCI 2025: From Queues to Care
We are delighted to announce that a paper from the SMILE Lab, From Queues to Care: Transhumanist Interventions for Patient-Centred Experiences in Indian Public Hospitals, has been accepted to India–HCI 2025, which had an acceptance rate of only 15%, ranking in the top 15 papers accepted from across India. This work explores practical, human-centred interventions to transform patient journeys in busy public hospitals — moving the focus from long waiting queues to meaningful, dignity-preserving care experiences. Combining field observations with prototype interventions, the paper proposes scalable designs and policy-aligned approaches aimed at improving accessibility, comfort, and trust for patients and caregivers. Congratulations to the SMILE Lab team comprising Ateet Yadav and Dr. Amar Behera for this important contribution. We look forward to presenting our findings at India–HCI 2025 and engaging with the community on pathways to better patient-centred healthcare in India.
September 2025
Nine papers in nine days of September
SMILE Lab had 5 papers go live and 4 others accepted in the first 9 days of the 9th month of 2025. Publications was enlisted in leading journals such as International Journal of Interactive Design and Manufacturing, Procedia CIRP, ACM Proceedings, etc.
July 2024
New Svaya Cobot joins the SMILE Lab
We are thrilled to welcome a new Svaya SR-L16 collaborative robot to the lab, expanding our capabilities in human-robot interaction and intelligent systems research.
Highlighted publication
Smart robopatients: Evolving the designs of virtual reality-based patient simulators for clinical training
Behera, A., (2025), Procedia CIRP 136, 880-885
View all publicationsPhD students can apply
We invite motivated candidates with interest in the following areas:
- Human–Robot Interaction and collaboration
- Desktop hybrid manufacturing and digital twins
- Intelligent learning systems and AI-driven control
- IIoT tools and resilient multi-robot systems
