Hello! I’m Ishaan Mehta, a final-year Ph.D. candidate at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), working at the Robotics and Computer Vision Lab (RCVL).
My research focuses on planning and task allocation in multi-robot systems designed for service-oriented applications — such as logistics, and facility management — where fleets of robots must collaborate efficiently and adapt to changing environments.

I have 8+ years of experience developing autonomous robotic systems, including drones, self-driving cars, ground robots, and robotic manipulators, with a focus on planning, perception, SLAM, and multi-robot coordination.
My work combines optimization and deep learning, particularly reinforcement learning and generative models, to develop scalable solutions for robot decision-making and environment modeling.

My broader research spans:

• Multi-robot task allocation and distributed planning
• Dense SLAM, Gaussian Splatting, and Neural Radiance Fields (NeRFs) for 3D scene understanding
• Manipulation and motion planning for intelligent robot behaviors
• Deep reinforcement learning for vision and planning tasks

Over the course of my academic journey, I’ve contributed to 11+ publications (including under review) in top-tier robotics and AI venues.
I have collaborated with 20+ researchers across academia and industry, led research teams, and mentored students in robotics and AI. My work emphasizes bridging theoretical advances with practical implementation, through prototyping, experimental validation, and commercialization initiatives.

From 2020 to 2022, I served as a Research Intern at the RCVL Lab, where I led a team in designing and developing UV-disinfection mobile robots to combat infection spread during the COVID-19 pandemic — a project that strengthened my passion for applying robotics to real-world societal challenges.

I earned my Master of Engineering in Autonomous Robotics from the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS), where I worked on robotic perception and control.
Before that, I completed my Bachelor of Engineering in Mechatronics from Thapar University, India.

You can view my detailed academic background and publications here:
Download CV →

Selected Projects

RTSP-Net: Reinforcement Learning-Based Robotic Task Sequencing for Robotic Manipulators in Obstacle-Rich Environments
Submitted to International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) 2026
Paper. Project.

ConSplat: Consensus Optimization for Distributed Gaussian Splatting SLAM
Submitted to International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) 2026
Paper. Project.

SplatUnity: A Collaborative Online SLAM and Learning Framework with 3D Gaussian Splatting and Inter-Agent Pose Alignment
Submitted to IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters
Paper. Project.

Morphological Detection and Classification of Microplastics and Nanoplastics Emerged from Consumer Products by Deep Learning
Submitted to Science of the Total Environment
Paper. Project.

M^3RS: Multi-robot, Multi-objective, and Multi-mode Routing and Scheduling
Submitted to Journal of Field Robotics
Paper. Project.

Pareto Frontier Approximation Network (PA-Net) to Solve Bi-objective TSP
IEEE International Conference on Automation Science and Engineering 2022
Mexico City, Mexico
Paper. Project.

Far-UVC disinfection with robotic mobile manipulator
International Symposium on Medical Robotics 2022
Atlanta, USA
Paper. Project.

Volunteer Work

I’m an active volunteer with the Art of Living Foundation, dedicated to promoting breathwork and meditation for stress relief and inner peace. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, I initiated daily virtual sessions offering free breathwork and meditation to help individuals combat stress and exhaustion. Further, I actively engage with SKY Campus Canada to promote well being in student community through breathwork and meditation. Here is some research about the impact of breathwork on stress and wellness.

Contact

Feel free to reach out to me for collaborations, guidance for aspiring researchers, or to learn more about breathwork.