Nebraska Innovation Studio (NIS) kicked off its first-ever Robotics Fellowship at the beginning of 2025, launching a 20-week program to propel the state’s next generation of tech innovators. Four fellows, selected from a pool of more than 30 applicants, will receive mentorship, materials funding and round-the-clock studio access to develop and refine projects ranging from automated surgical devices to AI-driven agricultural robots.
The fellowship is part of the Heartland Robotics Cluster, a partnership backed by a $25 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration. The cluster’s mission is to expand Nebraska’s robotics ecosystem and attract fresh talent in pursuit of innovation.
“We want to attract top talent. We want to provide a platform for that talent. We want to connect that talent with the resources that the studio has,” said John Strope, program coordinator for the NIS Robotics Fellowship. “Robotics development comes with unique challenges, and having a strong community around you makes all the difference. It’s the program I wished I had when I first came to the state.”
A snapshot of the fellowship
The 20-week fellowship from January to May provides each participant with free studio membership, a $2,500 materials allowance, extended access to cutting-edge tools and equipment, a performance laptop loaded with professional software and mentorship from a panel on the advisory council.
The first-of-its-kind program at NIS centers on taking ideas from concept to working prototype. Fellows attend up to 11 events and classes, providing structured checkpoints while leaving flexibility for independent development time.
According to Strope, the ultimate goal is to help ambitious builders take their ideas further, faster.
Meet the inaugural fellows
The fellowship’s inaugural class includes four innovators with projects spanning agriculture, surgical robotics and assistive technology for the deaf community. Each fellow arrives with a different background, but shares a common drive to solve real-world problems.
Amlan Balabantaray, AI-Driven Weed Control
A graduate student from Odisha, India, Balabantaray is developing the “See and Till” system, an autonomous robotic solution to combat herbicide-resistant weeds like Palmer amaranth. By combining vision-based AI with a precision mechanical tiller, the system identifies weeds in real time, only engaging the soil when a weed is detected.
“The most significant hurdle I foresee is minimizing the delay between weed detection by the algorithm and the actual tilling implement response. I’m approaching this by focusing on using a lightweight deep learning model that can enable faster weed detection,” said Balabantaray.
Balabantaray has collected over 10,000 images of weeds under varying conditions to train the system’s deep learning model. If successful, Balabantaray’s approach could support sustainable agricultural practices and reduce farmers’ reliance on chemicals.
“Nebraska is a farming state,” said Balabantaray. “The use of robotics and AI for doing agriculture will potentially increase the yield by a significant amount. This will also fuel the advancement of robotics systems in agriculture, positioning Nebraska as a pioneer in agricultural technology.”
Brooke Bode, Automating Ranch Water Management
As a senior mechanical engineering major, Raikes School student and founder of Cattle Kettle, Bode is tackling efficiency challenges in the cattle industry. She’s refining her Cattle Kettle Monitor, a combined hardware-software prototype that automates water management for ranchers.
“My goal is to build out a device to be able to not just withstand cattle, but also be enriching to the space,” said Bode.
The main issue Bode is trying to solve is pasture cattle migration, which is expensive and time-intensive for ranchers. Currently, ranchers have to drive to every water tank, inspect it and address any issues manually. The Cattle Kettle Monitor would go in the tanks to measure the water level and temperature, allowing ranchers to monitor the tanks remotely.
Teresa Monsees, Robotic American Sign Language (ASL) Learning Aid
Monsees, a senior mechanical engineering major, is creating a robotic learning aid that assists deaf and hard-of-hearing children in language development through sign language. Unlike static or screen-based tools, her prototype features robotic hands that convey words, emotion and pacing.
“Facial expressions and the pacing of signs are intentional and integral part of expressing meaning in ASL,” says Monsees.
Monsees says the intention is to help reinforce connections between ASL and the world like many other children’s toys do. As a child, she had toys that would speak, sing songs or read books. But, these toys aren’t typical for ASL because it is a visual language and is not as simple to implement into a toy.
Riley Reynolds, Automated Trocar Placement for Surgery
A Husker alumnus from Alpine, Utah, Reynolds is a surgical robotics engineer at Virtual Incision. During the fellowship, he plans to prototype a device that automates trocar placement, a critical first step in laparoscopic and robotic abdominal surgeries.
“The biggest hurdle isn’t just the tech — it’s gaining surgeon trust,” said Reynolds. “We want this device to make peritoneal cavity access so safe and reliable that a surgical assistant or physician assistant could perform it.”
Building on his master’s research at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and current experience at Virtual Incision, Reynolds envisions integrating optical visualization and pressure sensing to reduce organ injury risk and streamline the surgical workflow.
“I hope this project strengthens Nebraska’s robotics ecosystem by adding a high-tech medical innovation to the landscape. By developing advanced surgical technology here, we can demonstrate that groundbreaking work isn’t confined to the usual tech hubs,” said Reynolds.
The mentors
The fellows are supported by an Advisory Council of Nebraska leaders:
- Kathy Andersen, Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development
- Brian Ardinger, Director of Innovation, Founder, and Author at Nelnet, NXXT, Inc., and InsideOutside.io
- Chafik Barbar, Founder and CEO of Marble Technologies, Inc.
- Nate Benes, Director of Operational Tech and Engineering for the University of Nebraska System
- Nikhil Satyala, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Practice in the School of Computing at the UNL College of Engineering
- Santosh Pitla, Ph.D., Professor and Associate Head for Research and Innovation at the UNL College of Engineering (Biological Systems)
- Joy Eakin, M.A., Entrepreneurship Program Manager at NUtech Venture.
The mentors offer everything from technical feedback to industry connections.
“One of the biggest wins I see with the NIS Robotics Fellowship Program is interdisciplinary collaboration,” said Ardinger. “Success in new fields and new tech requires exploration, experimentation and engagement with customers and collaborators. Tech for tech’s sake rarely wins; the winners are the ones who can solve real problems.”
For the fellows, these mentors help them refine prototypes, navigate business questions and expand their professional networks.
Looking forward
From the vantage point of Strope, the real metric of success is whether these four fellows, along with future cohorts, drive the momentum that attracts investors, companies and more talent to Nebraska.
“If this program sparks more collaboration, attracts new talent and strengthens Nebraska’s reputation as a place where robotics innovation can not just germinate, but take root, then we know we’re on the right track,” said Strope.
“This program is about making sure those bold ideas don’t get stuck at the concept stage, but instead have a real shot at becoming something game-changing.”
For the next 20 weeks, these fellows will hustle — attending workshops, fine-tuning prototypes, networking with industry and solving one design challenge at a time.
“We’re not just participants,” said Reynolds. “We’re shaping the future of this program. With no predefined rules or limitations, we have the freedom to push boundaries and set the foundation for future fellows.”
