RAJESH ELARA MOHAN

About

Professor Mohan Rajesh Elara is a leading robotics researcher, innovator, and entrepreneur at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). He received his Ph.D. and M.Sc. degrees from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

His research spans robotics and autonomous systems, with particular expertise in reconfigurable robotics, robot ergonomics, bio-inspired design, and intelligent autonomous systems. His work bridges fundamental research and real-world deployment, with a strong focus on developing robotic technologies that operate effectively in complex human environments. He has published more than 300 papers in leading international journals, books, and conference proceedings and holds numerous patents arising from his research and innovation.

Professor Mohan has held editorial and leadership roles within the international robotics community, including serving as an Associate Editor of IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters and IEEE Nanotechnology Magazine. His research and innovation have received numerous recognitions, including the SG Mark Design Award, ASEE Best of Design in Engineering Award, Tan Kah Kee Young Inventors’ Award, and A’ Design Award.

Beyond academia, he is the co-founder of LionsBot, a Singapore-born robotics company developing autonomous cleaning robots deployed internationally, and Wefaa Robotics, an educational technology venture developing innovative robotics and learning platforms for global markets. Through these ventures, he has helped translate university research and intellectual property into commercially deployed robotic solutions.

Professor Mohan has also served in leadership, organising, and technical roles for numerous international robotics conferences and competitions. Across research, education, innovation, and entrepreneurship, his work is focused on advancing robotics and Physical AI from laboratory research to technologies that deliver meaningful impact in industry and society.

Employment

• Singapore University of Technology and Design Assistant Professor
  2017 - Present

Education

• Nanyang Technological University Ph.D. (Electrical and Electronics Engineering)
  2005 - 2011
• Nanyang Technological University M.Sc (Consumer Electronics)
  2003 - 2005
• Bharathiar University B.E (Electronics and Communication Engineering)
  1999 - 2003

Projects & Funding

Projects & funding information is unavailable.

Publications (220)

• Enhancing coverage efficiency of reconfigurable robots in confined environments through adaptive morphology transition using reinforcement learning
  Complex & Intelligent Systems 2026 DOI: 10.1007/s40747-026-02411-3
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• Greedy heuristics for sampling-based motion planning in high-dimensional state spaces
  Autonomous Robots 2026 DOI: 10.1007/s10514-026-10269-0
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• Reproducibility package for measured detection accuracy versus proxy scores for FP16 block allocation in INT8 object detectors: a controlled study
  Zenodo 2026 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23983314
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• A Paired, Floor-Guarded Evaluation Protocol for INT8 and FP8 Object Detectors under Image Corruptions: Reproducibility Package
  Zenodo 2026 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.22275640
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• Development and Evaluation of a Reconfigurable 3D LiDAR Sensor for Improved Perception in Autonomous Systems
  Sensors 2026 DOI: 10.3390/s26154829
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• Robot-Friendly Buildings: A Hierarchical Level of Service Framework for Evaluating and Designing Autonomous-Ready Built Environments
  Buildings 2026 DOI: 10.3390/buildings16122417
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• A reinforcement-learning-based fall mitigation system for stair-traversing service robots
  Results in Engineering 2026 DOI: 10.1016/j.rineng.2026.110413
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• robopometry
  Zenodo 2026 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19683046
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• A Scalable Post-Processing Pipeline for Large-Scale Free-Space Multi-Agent Path Planning with PIBT
  Mathematics 2026 DOI: 10.3390/math14071195
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• Energy-Efficient Rendezvous for Docking of Inter-Reconfigurable Modular Robots in Unknown Environments
  IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics 2026 DOI: 10.1109/TMECH.2025.3605585
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• A LiDAR-based human tracking and interaction framework for an autonomous pavement cleaning robot
  Results in Engineering 2026 DOI: 10.1016/j.rineng.2026.109481
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• A Robotic Eye Gaze Mirroring System for Human–Robot Interaction: Evaluating Response Time Across Proxemic Distances
  Systems 2026 DOI: 10.3390/systems14020206
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• Inter-star: A modified multi A-star approach for inter-reconfigurable robots
  Expert Systems with Applications 2026 DOI: 10.1016/j.eswa.2025.129134
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• Bio-Inspired Neural Network for Energy-Aware Complete Coverage Path Planning of Reconfigurable Robot
  IEEE Transactions on Evolutionary Computation 2026 DOI: 10.1109/TEVC.2026.3721909
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• Complete Coverage Path Planning by IGBNN-μ for Scalable Interreconfigurable Robots
  IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics: Systems 2026 DOI: 10.1109/TSMC.2026.3731065
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• Complete Coverage Path Planning for Omnidirectional Self-Reconfigurable Cleaning Robot Using $a$ GBNN
  IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering 2026 DOI: 10.1109/TASE.2025.3555042
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• Efficient Coverage Path Planning for a Decontamination Robot in Unknown Environments Using Reinforcement Learning
  IEEE Access 2026 DOI: 10.1109/ACCESS.2026.3731209
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• Slosh-Aware Trajectory Control in a Reconfigurable Staircase Service Robot
  2026 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-95-2382-5_19
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• Reconfigurable Sensors With Shape-Shifting Robots
  IEEE Sensors Journal 2025 DOI: 10.1109/JSEN.2025.3605064
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• Efficient Robot-Aided Outdoor Cleaning with a Glasius Bio-Inspired Neural Network and Vision-Based Adaptation
  Mathematics 2025 DOI: 10.3390/math13203277
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