Surya Singh

Also known as Surya P. N. Singh

Surya Singh is a robotics researcher whose work spans autonomous robot teams, simulation and reinforcement learning for robot motion. He earned degrees at the University of Tennessee in 2000 and Carnegie Mellon University in 2001, followed by a Stanford PhD in 2006. His work includes the 2013 V-REP robot-simulation paper and the University of Queensland’s Interactive-Ball, a soccer ball that changes its sound to help players with visual impairment. In 2026, he coauthored the Ultra Mobility Vehicle paper while affiliated with the Robotics and AI Institute, using reinforcement learning to give a bicycle robot skills such as jumping and front flips. As of October 2026, he is an affiliate assistant professor at the University of Washington and an adjunct associate professor at the University of Western Australia.

Now at: University of Washington and University of Western Australia
Works: 112
Citations: 2,924
h-index: 20
Badges: Wayfarer

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 27 October 2026.

Timeline

2002

Coordinating autonomous robot teams

With Scott Thayer, he publishes “A Foundation for Kilorobotic Exploration” in May 2002. Their Immunology-derived Distributed Autonomous Robotics Architecture coordinates exploration teams through mechanisms drawn from the human immune system, with simulations involving up to 1,500 robots.
2006

Doctorate at Stanford

He completes a PhD at Stanford University in 2006. His earlier degrees are a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering at the University of Tennessee in 2000 and an MS at Carnegie Mellon University in 2001.
September 2009

Motion planning in Sydney

Affiliated with the Australian Centre for Field Robotics, he presents “Going in Circles: Steering in Terrain from Robots to Animals and Back-again” at the University of Sydney in September 2009. The work turns a continuous steering problem into a combinatorial motion-planning problem that can handle obstacles, with examples from agile driving and animal locomotion.
2013

The V-REP robot simulator

In 2013, he coauthors “V-REP: A versatile and scalable robot simulation framework” with Eric Rohmer and Marc Freese at IROS. The framework supports different control techniques and applications such as algorithm development, system verification and factory automation simulation.
January 2015

A soccer ball with sound

In January 2015, he helps develop the Interactive-Ball with Pauline Pounds and Hanna Kurniawati at the University of Queensland’s Robotics Design Laboratory. Designed for players with visual impairment, the soccer ball uses motion sensors, speakers and a programmable controller to change its sound with its movement and surroundings.
2016

Chairing ACRA 2016

He serves as general chair of the Australasian Conference on Robotics and Automation in 2016, hosted by the University of Queensland’s Robotics Design Lab. Hanna Kurniawati and Paul Pounds serve as program chairs.
March 2026

The Ultra Mobility Vehicle

In March 2026, he is a corresponding author of “System Design of the Ultra Mobility Vehicle: A Driving, Balancing, and Jumping Bicycle Robot,” affiliated with the Robotics and AI Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The team uses constrained reinforcement learning to transfer skills from simulation to the physical robot, including jumps, wheelies and front flips.
As of October 2026

University affiliate appointments

As of October 2026, he is an affiliate assistant professor in the University of Washington’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He is also an adjunct associate professor in Mechanical Engineering within the University of Western Australia’s School of Engineering.

Career

NowUniversity of WashingtonAffiliate Assistant Professor
NowUniversity of Western AustraliaAdjunct Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering
University of SydneyAustralian Centre for Field Robotics affiliation
University of QueenslandRobotics Design Laboratory affiliation