Papers
3
Total Citations
105
H-Index
2
About
Simon Murrell is a leading roboticist whose work focuses on enabling autonomous systems to operate in the world’s most challenging environments—from underground tunnels to rugged outdoor terrain. As a key member of CSIRO Data61, Murrell’s research centers on heterogeneous multi-robot teams, dynamic legged locomotion, and the integration of autonomy with human oversight. His most impactful contribution is the DARPA Subterranean Challenge, where he co-authored the team’s winning approach (97 citations), demonstrating how balancing robot autonomy with human interaction can unlock exploration of dangerous, unstructured spaces. Murrell also led the design of Bruce, a dynamic hexapod robot (6 citations) that achieves agile locomotion over difficult terrain using series elastic actuators and rapid 3D-printed prototyping—a feat accomplished in under a year. More recently, he has explored how large foundation models can enable field robots to perform event-triggered sample collection for human scientists (2 citations), pushing the boundaries of human-robot collaboration. With a career defined by practical, high-impact robotics, Murrell’s work is shaping how autonomous systems can safely and effectively assist in disaster response, scientific exploration, and beyond.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2Bruce -- Design and Development of a Dynamic Hexapod Robot6 citations · 2020
- 3