About
With over 13 years of distinguished experience in academia, Dr. Rakesh M has demonstrated unwavering passion, dedication, and commitment to the noble profession of teaching. Throughout his academic career, he has successfully undertaken several leadership and administrative roles, including Chief Test Coordinator, Internship Coordinator, and Research Coordinator, he has also developed Drives Systems for Robotics Laboratory and Sensors and Signal Conditioning Laboratories from scratch contributing significantly to institutional growth and student development.
An active researcher and innovator, he has authored numerous publications in reputed international, national journals and conferences, and has been published and registered with patents and copyrights in emerging areas of engineering and technology. His research interests primarily focus on Industrial Automation, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and Smart Digital Manufacturing Systems.
Driven by a strong commitment to experiential learning and industry engagement, he has organized and conducted several hands-on training programs, faculty development programs, workshops, and expert talks across academic institutions and reputed industries. As a resource person, he has actively shared technical expertise and industry insights with students, researchers, and professionals.
Has played a pivotal role in strengthening Industry–Academia collaborations by facilitating industrial visits, internship opportunities and real-world problem-solving initiatives for students from industries. His efforts have significantly enhanced employability, innovation, and practical learning outcomes among engineering graduates.
In recognition of his academic and research contributions, he was honored with the Young Researcher Award in Robotics (SUT, Thailand, 2026) and has received multiple accolades, including Best Project Award and Best Paper Presentation Award at national and international forums.
Investigation of BZT based PVDF Polymer Materials: Microcrystalline, Morphological and its Electrical behaviour study
Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) nanoparticles were prepared by the sol–gel process followed by the hydrothermal method. The as-prepared PZT showed Pb(Zr 0.52 Ti 0.48 )O3 phase which was successfully incorporated into a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) polymer matrix by a simple solvent casting method. The X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) results showed phase purity and formation of PZT nanoparticles
composited along with a and b-phase PVDF polymer. The dielectric properties
of PZT-PVDF nano-composites were evaluated in detail concerning different
frequencies and it was observed that the dielectric constant and dielectric loss
tangent increased with the PZT content. Mixing a moderate amount (0.5 wt%) of
PZT into the PVDF matrix not only enhances the dielectric constant of the matrix
but also encourages the transformation of the PVDF crystal from a-phase into b-
phase. These effects can improve the dielectric constant, conductivity, and
dielectric loss with good dielectric stability. Room temperature dielectric mea-
surement of 0.5PZT-PVDF composites at 30 kHz gives 10–11 times higher
electrical conductivity compared to neat PVDF. Besides, it is found that
dielectric permittivity values at the lower frequency are affected by space
charges while in the higher frequencies the influence of relaxation effect in the
materials was observed. It was realized that 0.5PZT-PVDF polymer matrix can withstand optimum temperature and the DSC thermogram exhibited good
endothermic peak. Our experimental results reveal that the dielectric parameters like real, imaginary modulus and dielectric loss have a strong frequency
reliance.
Conducted extensive research in piezoelectric polymer composite materials (PVDF-based nanocomposites) for sensor applications, focusing on fabrication, microstructural characterization, electrical behavior, and performance evaluation.
Successfully completed a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering on “Fabrication and Performance Evaluation of Piezoelectric-PVDF Materials for Sensor Applications”, contributing to advanced smart sensing technologies.
Published 31 research papers in reputed journals, including Springer, Scopus-indexed, and Q1/Q2 journals, covering Robotics, Automation, Smart Materials, Artificial Intelligence, Manufacturing, and Composite Materials.
Developed innovative research outcomes leading to multiple patents and copyrights, including AI-enabled predictive maintenance systems, robotic end-effector materials, automated sensor characterization systems, and AI-based quality control solutions.
Research contributions span interdisciplinary domains such as Robotics & Automation, Industrial Automation, Smart Sensors, AI Applications, Composite Materials, Manufacturing Engineering, and Industry 4.0 technologies.
Recognized for research excellence through the IHE Young Researcher Award 2026, and actively serves as a researcher, reviewer, conference presenter, resource person, and registered Ph.D. research supervisor, contributing to academic and industrial innovation.
Research Interests
Industrial Automation, Robotics, Piezoelectric Composite materials, Sensors and its Applications
Young Researcher Award in Robotics-awarded by The Suranaree University of Technology is a national public university in Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand for contribution of Projects, reputed journals, development of Labs in robotics and automation.
Received Best paper presentation award of UG Mechanical Engineering project work in the Academic year 2018 at NIE Mysore.
Best Project Award- final year UG Mechanical Engineering project batch in the Academic year 2015 at NIE Mysore
Assistant Professor
School of Engineering
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Mysuru