Divyansh KumarPublished: Oct 17, 2026, 09:00 ISTUpdated: Oct 17, 2026, 09:00 IST
A 25-year-old Indian researcher in Madrid is making it possible for scientists to run real-world robotics experiments from anywhere in the world without stepping inside a physical laboratory.
A native of Indore, Madhya Pradesh, Mahika Vats, is an alumna of IE University, Madrid, Spain, who is using Virtual Reality (VR) to control physical robots remotely and collect accurate research data.
Working at IE University’s AI and Robotics Lab, called CyPhy Life, Mahika focuses on solving one of the biggest bottlenecks in modern science: access to expensive laboratory hardware. Her core project is an architecture named PUPPET (Physically Unified Platform for Presence, Experimentation & Teleoperation).
The system connects a user wearing a VR headset directly to a physical, mobile robot called TIAGo, allowing the user to see, navigate, and run tests as if they were physically present in the lab.
“Remote experimentation is a game-changer because it allows science without a lab. Today, many experiments require expensive laboratories and specialised equipment. If you are not in the right university or country, it is difficult to participate.
PUPPET allows students and researchers in different parts of the world to test ideas and collect reliable data without needing physical access to the space,” says Mahika.
The platform tackles what engineers call the ‘sim-to-real gap’. “Computer simulations are useful for testing algorithms, but they operate in ideal conditions. In the real world, robot grippers slip, lighting changes, and sensors misread distances.
Mahika was raised by her mother, who is a psychologist, and a businessman father, who deals in marble and granite exports. After spending her early childhood in the United States, she returned to India to finish her schooling at The Daly College in Indore.
“Moving back to India for high school gave me a strong sense of identity, while teaching me to be re undergraduate degree, she chose a Dual Bachelor’s in Business Administration and Data Analytics at IE University
“I knew business was changing and that technology would drive the next shift. I did not have a coding background, but combining business with data analytics helped me understand change instead of just reacting to it.
Over time, I fell in love with data problem-solving and grew to value being a woman in STEM,” Mahika adds.
Integrating VR, AI, and physical robotics comes with steep practical hurdles. Mahika says, “The hardest part is managing multiple layers of technology that constantly affect one another. On a project like this, you have to think like a designer, a software developer, and a data analyst on the same day. A small change in the virtual space alters how the user moves.
A slight network delay affects the robot’s physical movement, and that changes the quality of the data collected. The real challenge is making all these separate parts work together as one stable system.”
Mahika believes Indian students possess distinct advantages when entering global research environments. “Growing up in India teaches adaptability and resilience, helping students solve problems even when re
For Indian students aspiring to break into emerging fields such as AI, robotics, or immersive technology, she says, “Stop waiting to feel fully qualified before starting. Instead, one should begin building small projects, master the fundamentals, and stay curious. Students do not need a conventional engineering degree to contribute meaningfully to modern tech. Fields like robotics increasingly need individuals who can ask the right questions, design clean user experiences, and understand the practical, human impact of new technologies.”
