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- Dr Rahim Mutlu
Dr Rahim Mutlu is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Engineering & Information Sciences (FEIS) and teaches in Mechatronic Engineering at the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD). He obtained his PhD from University of Wollongong, Australia on Modelling Soft Robotic Actuators amalgamating Materials Science with Engineering.
Dr Mutlu finds passion developing contemporary courses across Engineering disciplines with hands-on practicals to facilitate student learning by experience. His philosophy centres around simplification while ensuring delivery of the core components along with constant feedback to reflect and improve delivery methods, and apply these to enhance students’ learning experience. His pedagogical methods focus not only “equity, diversity and inclusion” educating young engineers but also confident leaders and society members.
His expertise concentrates on wearable robotic systems to enhance human life in multiple schemes for novel demand-driven Industry 4.0 and health care applications realizing them from ideation to functional devices with use of interdisciplinary approaches involving Soft Robotics, innovative manufacturing techniques including Additive Manufacturing within their multidisciplinary applications such as prosthetics, exoskeletons, rehabilitation robots empowered with bioinspired actuation and sensing technologies closing the loop with Soft Haptics.
His academic journey as a Mechanical Engineer complemented with a Business Administration degree followed Master and PhD in Mechatronics. After his postdoctoral role on Soft Robotics in medical applications in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES) at Intelligent Polymer Research Institute (IPRI), he joined School of Mechanical, Materials, Mechatronic and Biomedical Engineering (MMMB) UOW as a Biomedical Engineering lecturer.
- PhD (Mechatronics), University of Wollongong
- Master of Engineering (Mechatronics), University of Wollongong
- Bachelor of Business Administration, Anadolu University
- Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering, Uludag University
- M. Aydin, R. Mutlu, D. Singh, E. Sariyildiz, R. Coman, E. Mayland, J. Shemmell, W. Lee, ”Novel Soft Haptic Biofeedback-Pilot Study on Postural Balance and Proprioception,” Sensors, 22(10):3779, 2022.
- C. Tawk, R. Mutlu, and G. Alici, "A 3D Printed Modular Soft Gripper Integrated with Metamaterials for Conformal Grasping," Frontiers in Robotics and AI, section Soft Robotics, 8:799230, 2022.
- B. Stephens-Fripp, R. Mutlu, and G. Alici, "A Comparison Between Separated Electrodes and Concentric Electrodes for Electrotactile Stimulation," IEEE Transactions on Medical Bionics and Robotics, 2021.
- R. Mutlu, E. Sariyildiz, T. Nozaki and G. Alici, "Design of a Multi-Stage Stiffness Enhancing Unit for a Soft Robotic Finger and its Robust Motion Control," IECON 2018 - 44th Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society, pp. 5074-5079, 2018.
- V. Sencadas, R. Mutlu, and G. Alici, "Large area and ultra-thin compliant strain sensors for prosthetic devices," Sensors and Actuators: A, 2017, vol. 266, pp. 56-64, 2017.
- R. Mutlu, G. Alici, M. i. h. Panhuis, and G. M. Spinks, "3D Printed Flexure Hinges for Soft Monolithic Prosthetic Fingers," Soft Robotics, vol. 3, pp. 1-14, 2016.
- R. Mutlu, G. Alici, and W. Li, "Three-Dimensional Kinematic Modeling of Helix-Forming Lamina-Emergent Soft Smart Actuators Based on Electroactive Polymers," IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics: Systems, pp. 1-12, 2016
Dr Mutlu’s research interests focus on wearable robotic systems to enhance human life in multiple schemes for novel demand-driven Industry 4.0 and health care applications realizing them from ideation to functional devices with use of interdisciplinary approaches involving Soft Robotics, innovative manufacturing techniques including Additive Manufacturing within their multidisciplinary applications such as prosthetics, exoskeletons, rehabilitation robots empowered with bioinspired actuation and sensing technologies closing the loop with Soft Haptics.
Research Grants:
- Smart Shoes: Motivating Elders to Walk Longer and Safer (CI, Global Challenges program Seed grant UOW, 2017-2018)
- Smart Limb Rehab: Enhancing Recovery and Rehabilitation with portable exoskeleton (Lead CI, Global Challenges program Seed grant UOW, 2018-2019) https://www.uow.edu.au/global-challenges/making-future-industries/smart-limb-rehab/
- Passive Wearable Assistive Robotic Device (WeARoP): Body Posture Support and Mobility Enhancement for elderly with User-centred design approach (Lead CI, Global Challenges program Seed grant UOW, 2019-2020) https://www.uow.edu.au/global-challenges/living-well-longer/wearable-assistive-robotic-device/
- Human-to-robot skill transfer: Exploring the Social, Technical and Legal Implications within Industry 4.0 (CI, Global Challenges program Seed grant UOW, 2020-2021)
- A Smart Shoe System Enabling Sedentary Older Adults to Walk More Steps and Walk Safely (CI, Global Challenges program Project grant UOW, 2019-2020)
- Dr Mutlu is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), IEEE Robotics and Automation Society, IEEE Systems, Man and Cybernetics Society, and member of Engineers Australia
- Associate Editor in Frontiers in Medical Technology’s on Diagnostic & Therapeutic Devices
- Technical Editor in Soft Robotics (SoRo) - Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
- Review Editor in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology on Biomechanics
- Review Editor in Frontiers in Robotics and AI
- and Guest Editor for several Journals
- Biomedical Instrumentation and Design
- Biomedical Sensors and Actuators
- Manufacturing Techniques for Biomedical Engineering
- Mechanical Design of Biomedical Devices
- Fundamentals of Engineering Mechanics
- Engineering Design for Sustainability
- Engineering Analysis
- Machine Dynamics
- Mechanical Engineering Design 2
- Dynamics of Engineering Systems
- Advanced Topics in Mechanical Engineering: Introduction to Additive Manufacturing
- Engineering Computing and Analysis
- Circuits and Systems
- Engineering Design and Management 3
- Systems Reliability Engineering
- Robotics and Flexible Automation
- Applied Topics in Mechatronics
- Reliability Engineering

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