Shlok Agarwal

Lead Controls Software Engineer @ Ghost Robotics
📧 email , 🔗 linkedin ,📍 Newark, NJ | Philadelphia, PA
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Professional Summary

Lead Controls Software Engineer with 10+ years of specialized experience in legged robotics, manipulation, dynamics, control, and autonomous systems. Expert in developing real-world robotic solutions deployed across defense, industrial, and research applications. Proven track record in leading technical teams, publishing research, filing patents, and delivering innovative control algorithms for complex robotic platforms.

Experience

Ghost Robotics, Philadelphia, PA · 2018 – Present

Lead Controls Software Engineer · Jan 2025 – Present

  • Lead low-level software development and arm behavior systems for quadruped robots
  • Direct software release planning, testing, and high-priority customer support resolution
  • Develop advanced manipulation behaviors including door opening and payload management
  • Enhanced joint-level torque safety algorithms for improved operational reliability

Senior Controls & Behavior Engineer · Mar 2021 – Nov 2024

  • Led development of blind gait strategies and auto-transition behaviors for steep inclines
  • Built proprioceptive force observer for contact detection and whole-body control integration
  • Maintained recovery controller and self-righting behaviors with continuous performance improvements
  • Represented company in high-stakes defense demos and international deployments
  • Integrated arm control stack for door opening, manipulation, and teleoperated missions
  • Provided hands-on support to major clients including US Air Force and Australian Army
  • Coordinated logistics for strategic visits to India, contributing to 100-robot orders

Controls & Behavior Engineer · Jun 2018 – Mar 2021

  • Designed and implemented robust self-righting algorithms across various fall configurations
  • Developed early proprioceptive gait algorithms for stairs, hills, curbs, and slippery terrains
  • Created blind reflexes and terrain-agnostic locomotion for obstacle courses
  • Contributed to optimization-based stance control and Cartesian swing trajectory modules
  • Participated in robot assembly, repair, field testing, and QA for Vision series deployments
  • Supported initial field deployments across multiple terrains and use cases

Institute of Human and Machine Congition(IHMC), Pensacola, FL · Jun 2017 – Nov 2017

Robotics Software Intern

  • Developed equivalent mechanical model of MinaV2 exoskeleton system
  • Analyzed human-exoskeleton dynamics for balance and locomotion assistance
  • Contributed to research published in Frontiers in Neurorobotics (52+ citations)

Sirena Technologies, Bangalore, India · Sep 2014 – Aug 2016

Design Engineer, Mechatronics

  • Designed structural CAD model for 16-DOF humanoid robot “Nino”
  • Formulated ZMP-based walking controller for stable bipedal locomotion
  • Managed design, analysis, vendor relationships, and procurement for actuators and components

Education

Master of Science in Robotics Engineering

Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Worcester, MA | 2016-2018

  • GPA: 3.8/4.0
  • Thesis: “Study of Toe Joints to Enhance Locomotion of Legged Systems”
  • Coursework: Robot Dynamics, Control Systems, Machine Learning, Computer Vision

Bachelor of Technology in Mechatronics

Manipal Institute of Technology | Manipal, India | 2010-2014

  • GPA: 3.6/4.0
  • Focus: Robotics, Automation Engineering, Control Systems
  • Activities: Institute of Engineers Mechatronics

Journal Publications

Stability of mina v2 for robot-assisted balance and locomotion C Mummolo, WZ Peng, S Agarwal, R Griffin, PD Neuhaus, JH Kim
Frontiers in Neurorobotics, 2018

Transportable open-source application program interface and user interface for generic humanoids: TOUGH V Jagtap, S Agarwal, A Wagh, M Gennert
International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems, 2020

Conference Papers

Study of toe joints to enhance locomotion of humanoid robots
S Agarwal, M Popovic
2018 IEEE-RAS 18th International Conference on Humanoid Robots (Humanoids)

Extended State Machines for Robust Robot Performance in Complex Tasks
V Jagtap, S Agarwal, S Nirmal, S Kejriwal, MA Gennert
2018 IEEE-RAS 18th International Conference on Humanoid Robots (Humanoids)

Design and fabrication of twinrotor UAV
S Agarwal, A Mohan, K Kumar
Computer Science & Information Technology (CS & IT), 2013

Mathematical Modeling and Control System Design of Tiltrotor UAV
S Agarwal, A Mohan, K Kumar
International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, 2013

Patents

System and method for proprioceptive and responsive robotic door opening
S Agarwal, Avik DE
US Patent WO2025042812A1, 2025

Professional Activities

Editorial & Review Service

  • Associate Editor: IEEE/ASME International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics (2025)
  • Associate Editor: 2026 IEEE International Conference on Robotics & Automation (2026)
  • Technical Program Committee: IEEE International Conference on Advanced Robotics and Social Impacts (2025)
  • Peer Reviewer: IEEE T-CST, IEEE RA-L, IROS, CDC, MECC, ACM CHI (2022-2026)

Professional Memberships

  • IEEE Senior Member (2023-present)
  • Marquis Who’s Who Honored Listee (2024-2029)

Conference Participation

  • Dynamic Walking 2024, ICRA 2023, IEEE Humanoids 2018, Dynamic Walking 2018
  • NASA Space Robotics Challenge Finalist (2017)

Key Achievements

  • Leadership: Promoted to Lead Controls Software role, managing technical teams and software releases.
  • Innovation: Filed patent for proprioceptive door opening system with real-world deployment
  • Global Impact: Coordinated robot deployments across US, Australia, and India markets
  • Research Excellence: 93+ citations across 7 peer-reviewed publications
  • Technical Recognition: Achieved IEEE Senior Member status for contributions to robotics

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