ആരൻ ജോൺ സാബു
I study how robots perceive, plan, and act when measurements and models are uncertain.
Ph.D. Candidate at UCLA, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
Researcher, Sensing & Robotics for Infrastructure Lab
Submitted a contributed paper, "History-Aware Grounded Robot Plan Reuse in Infrastructure Inspections," to ICRA 2027.
Joined Ocean Exchange's Americas Review Team, evaluating ocean-innovation proposals.
Our Heron USV field testing at FATHOMWERX and the Port of Hueneme was featured in coverage by FATHOMWERX and Matter Labs.
Joined UCLA Samueli's Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) as a daily lab supervisor for marine-robotics research.
Selected as a UCLA Grad Slam semifinalist, presenting my research in a three-minute talk.
Presented our marine-infrastructure robotics research at UCLA's undergraduate research fair.
Advanced to doctoral candidacy after passing UCLA's University Oral Qualifying Examination.
Presented research on orbital rendezvous and capture at the IEEE Aerospace Conference. Read the paper.
GRANDE / ORACLE · Current Research
I develop perception and planning methods for marine infrastructure inspection using the Heron surface robot, combining LiDAR, cameras, inertial sensing, and sonar.
GRANDE integrates the platform; ORACLE studies how inspection requests can guide plans grounded in what the robot can observe.
Watch field-testing coverageFATHOMWERX · Video by Matter Labs
IEEE Aerospace Conference · 2025
Adaptive control for orbital capture
Adaptive model predictive control for approaching tumbling objects in orbit, with explicit safety constraints that account for uncertain dynamics.
Multi-agent space assembly
Coordinating spacecraft to assemble structures too large to launch in one piece, through task allocation, motion planning, and attitude control.
Decentralized learning MPC
Learning from earlier trajectories to improve repeated motion tasks while accounting for obstacles and separation between agents.
Agile quadrotor trajectory planning
Time-optimal, jerk-constrained trajectory generation through cluttered environments with nonlinear optimization and ROS visualization.
My earlier work spans mechanical logic, radio-based localization, cooperative aerial robots, and satellite electronics.
Explore the research & engineering archiveSubmitted to ICRA 2027
Manuscripts in preparation on field robotics and AI for construction.
In preparation · 2026
Additional manuscripts are in preparation on robotic assessment of submerged cables and reliable marine-robot localization.
My teaching emphasizes conceptual intuition, active problem-solving, and a classroom where students feel comfortable asking difficult questions.
From 2021 to 2026, I taught and mentored across more than ten quarters at UCLA, spanning physics, aeronautics, systems engineering, calculus, history of science, religion, and film studies. This included calculus instruction through UCLA’s Freshman Summer Bridge Program. Earlier work at IIT Bombay included digital electronics, Python instruction, and Malayalam-language STEM outreach through the Open Learning Initiative.
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
For research collaborations and mentorship inquiries: