Assist. Prof. Dr. Bhivraj Suthar | Robotics | Best Researcher Award

Assistant Professor at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Jodhpur, India

Dr. Bhivraj Suthar is an Assistant Professor at the Next-Gen BIRD Lab, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, under the School of Artificial Intelligence & Data Science. With over five years of post-Ph.D. academic and industrial research experience across South Korea, the UAE, and India, he specializes in Bio-inspired Robotics and Artificial Intelligence. Dr. Suthar is a recipient of the prestigious Prime Minister Early Career Research Award (2025) and has been instrumental in developing over 15 robotic systems. He also holds a 10-Year USA Business Visa and UAE Golden Visa.

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Education Background

• Ph.D. in Wearable Robotics (2020)
  Korea University of Technology and Education, South Korea
  Thesis: Design and Development of TSA Soft Actuator for Exosuit
  (Research Fellow at KAIST)

• M.Tech. in Cleaning Robotics (2015)
  Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, India
  Thesis: Development of an Inchworm Mechanism for Solar Panel Cleaning Robot

• B.E. in Mechatronics (2010)
  College of Technology and Engineering, Rajasthan, India

Professional Development

Dr. Suthar is currently serving as an Assistant Professor at IIT Jodhpur (since October 2023), where he teaches robotics and leads research in assistive and wearable robotic technologies. Previously, he worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher at Khalifa University (UAE, 2021–2023) and Chungnam National University (South Korea, 2020–2021), focusing on twisted string actuators and aerial manipulation. Before his Ph.D., he contributed to several robotics projects at IIT Delhi as a Junior Research Fellow and Project Associate.

Research Focus

Dr. Suthar’s core research focuses on:

• Bio-inspired Mechanisms and Actuators

• Assistive Robotics: Exoskeletons, Exosuits, Supernumerary Robotic Limbs

• Grippers, Tactile and Vision-based Sensing

• Aerial Manipulation and Metamorphic Drone Arms

• Artificial Intelligence in Robotics

Author Metrics:

• Publications: 33+ Conference Papers (including 2 at IROS and 2 at ICRA), 18 Journal Papers (16 Q1, 2 Q2), with 7 additional Q1 articles under review

• Patents: 1 granted, 5 under review

• Editorial Roles: Editorial Board Member (Journal of Mechatronics and Robotics), Guest Editor (Journal of Visualized Experiments)

• Reviewer: IEEE T-Mech, Mechatronics, RAL, IJRR, ICRA, IROS, and more

Awards and Honors:

• Prime Minister Early Career Research Grant Award – 2025, India

• ISRO Moon Rover Robotics Challenge 2024 – Faculty Advisor for the shortlisted IIT Jodhpur team

• WearRAcon Innovation Challenge Finalist – 2022, USA

• Top 10 Finalist, James Dyson Design Award – 2021, South Korea

• Indian President Innovation Award – 2015, India

• Secured research grants exceeding ₹2 Crores INR from national and international agencies

1. Preliminary Study of Twisted String Actuation through a Conduit toward Soft and Wearable Actuation

Authors: B. Suthar, M. Usman, H. Seong, I. Gaponov, J.H. Ryu
Conference: 2018 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)
Pages: 2260–2265
Citations: 25
Summary:
This paper presents an early investigation into the integration of twisted string actuators (TSA) with conduits to enhance flexibility in soft and wearable robotics. It highlights the feasibility of transmitting force through a flexible sheath, addressing key challenges in wearable design. The results demonstrate that TSA-based systems can be compact, lightweight, and capable of achieving large contraction ratios suitable for human–robot interfaces.

2. Design and Bending Analysis of a Metamorphic Parallel Twisted-Scissor Mechanism

Authors: B. Suthar, S. Jung
Journal: Journal of Mechanisms and Robotics, Volume 13, Issue 4, Article 040901
Year: 2021
Citations: 24
Summary:
This study introduces a novel parallel twisted-scissor mechanism with metamorphic capabilities, enabling flexible structural adaptation under loading. Through analytical modeling and finite element simulations, the paper investigates bending behaviors and highlights the mechanism’s potential for deployable robotic arms and reconfigurable structures.

3. A Study on Life Cycle of Twisted String Actuators: Preliminary Results

Authors: M. Usman, H. Seong, B. Suthar, I. Gaponov, J.H. Ryu
Conference: 2017 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS)
Citations: 24
Summary:
This research explores the durability and operational lifetime of twisted string actuators, focusing on the mechanical wear and failure patterns over repeated cycles. The study provides preliminary but crucial insights into material selection and actuator design for long-term usage in robotic systems.

4. Design and Feasibility Analysis of a Foldable Robot Arm for Drones Using a Twisted String Actuator: FRAD-TSA

Author: B.S. Suthar, S. Jung
Journal: IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L)
Year: 2021
Citations: 21
Summary:
This paper proposes the FRAD-TSA – a foldable robotic arm for drones, driven by a twisted string actuator system. The design emphasizes lightweight construction, compactness, and rapid deployment capability. Simulation and experimental results confirm the feasibility of TSA-based drone-mounted manipulators.

5. A Novel Grid and Place Neuron’s Computational Modeling to Learn Spatial Semantics of an Environment

Authors: R. Shrivastava, P. Kumar, S. Tripathi, V. Tiwari, D.S. Rajput, T.R. Gadekallu, B. Suthar, et al.
Journal: Applied Sciences, Volume 10, Issue 15, Article 5147
Year: 2020
Citations: 17
Summary:
This interdisciplinary paper models the grid and place neurons inspired by biological systems to enhance robotic spatial navigation and environmental mapping. The computational framework simulates how robots can semantically understand their surroundings, with implications for autonomous navigation and cognitive robotics.

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