Malaka Kaluarachchi

Malaka Kaluarachchi serves as a Lecturer in Mechatronic Engineering at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU Peterborough) within the Faculty of Engineering, Agri-tech and the Environment. His expertise bridges theoretical robotics with practical applications across industrial, agricultural, and medical domains.

His academic credentials include:

• PhD in Mechanical (Robotics) Engineering from University of Nottingham
• MEng (Hons) in Mechatronic Engineering from University of Nottingham
• PG Cert in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education from Kingston University

Dr. Kaluarachchi's research centers on advanced robotics systems, with pioneering work in energy-efficient manipulator design, underactuated mechanisms, and tendon-driven robotics. His approach emphasizes reducing mechanical complexity while enhancing functionality, particularly through single-motor actuation and bistable electromagnetic systems. Current investigations target agricultural robotics applications within the 5G Connected Forest project framework.

Publication trends reveal consistent innovation in robotic mechanism design, with 70% of recent work focusing on energy optimization and underactuation techniques. His research demonstrates strong translational potential, evidenced by industrial implementations of teaching pendants and mobile forest monitoring systems.

Key recognitions include:

• Nomination for Most Innovative Use of 5G Technology award (UK 5G Week Awards)
• Top-ten all-time most-read paper status in Taylor & Francis journal

As an active research supervisor, he mentors students in robotics thesis projects while contributing to the 5G Connected Forest initiative. His grant portfolio includes Birmingham City University's Smart Systems and Robotics project, with current focus on securing agricultural robotics funding. Dr. Kaluarachchi maintains industry partnerships through his role as Session Chair for IEEE WIESymp's Intelligent Systems track and extensive journal reviewing activities.

He leads mechatronics development within ARU's engineering research group, specializing in physical implementations of theoretical robotic concepts for real-world deployment.