Pranav khandelwal

Biomechanics | Behavior | Computer Vision

Biomechanics | Behavior | Computer Vision

I use non-invasive motion tracking techniques to understand locomotion and behavior in the natural world 

I am broadly interested in using physiological and kinematic time series data to quantify behavior and translate them into insightful metrics that sheds light on the behavior of the organism.
My expertise lies at the interface of physics, biology, and computer vision, allowing me to explore locomotion and behavior of organisms in the natural world using non-invasive measurement techniques. For example, I used up to 7 GoPro cameras to collect 3D kinematics, body posture and orientation data of flying lizards (size~palm's length) gliding more than 10 m in the jungle, leading to novel insights into how gliding animals navigate their cluttered environment and modulate aerodynamic force production. During my PhD, I have worked towards making my science/research accessible to a broader audience through a successful crowdfunding campaign and participating in outreach events. You can checkout my crowdfunding campaign here and a science feature that I wrote for the Indian news outlet NDTV Gadgets here.
Along with research, I enjoy making interactive apps for teaching and kinematic analyis. Do checkout some of the apps that I have made in the software tab!
More details about my academic background and research can be found in my CV.

Research Highlights

Free-flight aerodynamics of gliding

Flying lizards modulate their pitch and camber for efficient gliding in the jungle

Gliding through the jungle

Flying lizards use a vision based path-planning strategy to navigate their spatially cluttered habitat. Here's a video summary of the findings.

Research coverage

Interview with the Dutch radio station BNR