Lab Members
Dr. Thilina Lalitharatne
Lab Director / Principal Investigator
Thilina is the Principal Investigator of the ECHO lab. Before joining QMUL, he was a postdoctoral research associate attached to Morph Lab, Dyson School of Design Engineering, Imperial College London. He was also a visiting research fellow in Bioinspired Robotics Lab (BIRL) at University of Cambridge. Prior to this, he has worked as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Moratuwa (UOM), Sri Lanka. Thilina earned his PhD in Robotics and Intelligent Systems from Saga University, Japan. He obtained his MSc. in Electronics and Automations and BSc. (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering from UOM, Sri Lanka. Thilina is a member of the IEEE RAS, SMC and EMBS societies since 2012.
Saitarun Nadipineni
PhD student (2nd year) / Research Assistant (EU PALPABLE project)
Saitarun's research focuses on understanding soft matter stiffness and developing sensors for stiffness measurement. He obtained his MSc in Advanced Robotics from Queen Mary University of London and his BEng in Electronic Engineering from King's College London.
Chenhao Hong
PhD student (1st year)
Chenhao’s research interests lie at the intersection of soft robotics and rehabilitation robotics. His work focuses on the integration of flexible sensors and soft actuators to develop intelligent wearable systems. He is particularly interested in leveraging multi-modal sensing to achieve precise human-robot interaction and closed-loop control in assistive technologies. Chenhao holds an MSc in Advanced Robotics from Queen Mary University of London and a BEng in Automation from Dalian University of Technology.
Yongzhang Zhu
MSc student
Yongzhang is working on the development of embodied-intelligence-inspired adjustable sensors. His research mainly focuses on embodied physical intelligence and soft tactile/force sensing. Yongzhang holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science (Game Engineering) from Newcastle University (2022) and is currently pursuing an MSc in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence at Queen Mary University of London.
Veselin Lazarov Velchev
MSc student
Ves has worked on automated greenhouse systems and is currently working on developing branching eversion robots. Veselin holds a BSc Hons in Software Engineering from the University of Greenwich (2024) and is currently pursuing an MSc in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence at Queen Mary University of London.
Rashika Chithoor Santharam
MSc student
Rashika is pursuing her MSc in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence in Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). Rashika is working on the development of energy - information optimized robotic faces. Her research mainly focuses on bio-inspired robotics, soft robotics, cognitive robotics, medical robotics, and autonomous intelligent systems. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr. Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology (VTU), India.
Karthik Gaunder
MSc student
Karthik is working on the development of Soft Hand Exoskeletons for Power Assistance. His research main focuses on an Adaptive Textile EMG Sensor System for Control of a Soft Hand Exoskeleton. Karthik holds a BEng in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Surrey (2025).
Boyuan Chi
MSc student
Boyuan is working on the development of Robotic Physical Twins of Fruits. This research mainly focuses on soft robotics approaches including soft sensors and actuators. Boyuan holds a Bachelor of Engineering in the University of Sheffield (2025).
Past members
Keshav Pandiyan, MSc student, 2024-2025
Jensen Jill Rajesh, QMCUR student, 2024-2025
Tanishtha Ramlall, QMCUR student, 2023-2024