Jiří Suder

Jiří Suder

Robotics Researcher · PhD

Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL) · Førde, Norway

Dept. of Computer Science, Electrical Engineering & Mathematical Sciences

About Me

I am a robotics researcher (PhD) at the HVL Robotics group at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences. My work sits at the intersection of robotics, additive manufacturing, and intelligent sensing systems.

My path runs from building 3D printers commercially, through a doctorate on the use of 3D printing in robot design, to research on machines that change their own shape — printing nozzles that resize mid-print, robot links that bend when heated and lock rigid when cooled, and grippers that adapt to whatever they hold.

A particular strength of mine is rapid prototyping across the full development cycle — I can analyse a problem, design both the mechanics and the electronics, program and bring the device to life, test it hands-on, and turn the results into scientific publications. When a design calls for it, I prepare complete manufacturing documentation and have the parts made externally — but when speed matters, I don't hesitate to pick up the tools and make them myself.

30 Publications
177 Citations
7 h-index

Selected research projects

Each card opens a closer look — figures, video and the story behind the paper.

The variable-orifice nozzle mechanism on a 3D printer beside microscope views of the orifice

Variable-Orifice Nozzle for 3D Printing

A 3D-printing nozzle with a continuously adjustable orifice diameter, enabling variable line widths within a single print.

Read more →
FEM simulation and 3D-printed FinRay fingers wrapping a ball, an egg, a foam block and a light bulb

FinRay Fingers Optimization

Structural optimization of compliant FinRay fingers for the best possible wrapping around grasped objects.

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A robot-arm link bent into a smooth curve by thermal shape-morphing

Thermally Morphing Link

A robot-arm link that softens when heated, bends into a new shape, and locks it rigidly on cooling.

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A two-armed ABB YuMi collaborative robot gripping a part with its insert-fitted jaw

Flexible Gripper Inserts

3D-printed soft inserts that stop a collaborative robot's jaws from dropping what they hold — up to 411% more grip.

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A flexible TPU tensile specimen before and during a tensile test on a Testometric machine

Experimental Analyses of 3D-Printed Material Properties

A series of experiments on printed PLA and TPU — annealing for strength, temperature resistance and tensile characterisation of the material.

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The angular black manipulator effector with parallel gripping jaws on its stand

Force-Sensing Robot Gripper

Adding strain gauges to a 600 N manipulator gripper so it can measure and control its own grip — enough to hold a raw egg without breaking it.

Read more →

Skills

From analysing the brief to a functional prototype.

resultFunctional prototype
  1. Analysis & diagnostics Breaking down the brief and reviewing the literature, tracing the root cause, proposing design variants and picking the most suitable one.
  2. Design & simulation 3D models, design calculations and drive selection, stress and kinematic analysis (FEA).
    • Creo Parametric
    • Creo Simulate
    • SOLIDWORKS
    • Fusion 360
    • CoppeliaSim
    • MATLAB
    • Mathcad
  3. Electronics & sensing PCB design, microcontrollers, strain-gauge measurement, motor control and data acquisition.
    • EAGLE
    • EasyEDA
    • Arduino
    • ESP32
    • Raspberry Pi
    • Microchip PIC
  4. Software & control Control software for prototypes, data processing, motion and control algorithms.
    • Python
    • C#
    • Assembly
    • MATLAB
    • Claude (AI)
    • Git
  5. Manufacturing & documentation Printing with flexible materials, silicone casting, custom extruders, machining and assembly.
    • PrusaSlicer
    • Bambu Studio
    • Cura
    • CAM software
    • Complete manufacturing documentation
  6. Testing & publication Measurement, evaluation and comparison against the model, publishing the results and attending conferences.
    • 30 publications
    • 8 conference papers
    • 8 supervised theses

Experience & Education

My path through robotics — from technical school in Frýdek-Místek and a PhD in Ostrava to current work at HVL.

  1. 2025 – Present

    Researcher in Robotics

    HVL Robotics — Western Norway University of Applied Sciences · Førde, Norway

    Developing new robotic solutions and prototypes for the FutuRaPS project, including a robotic spraying platform for raspberry farming. Ongoing work spans the Internet of Robotic Things, latency-sensitive wireless communication for mobile robots, and large language models in mechatronic design.

  2. 2020 – 2024

    Junior Researcher

    Research Centre of Advanced Mechatronic Systems, VŠB – Technical University of Ostrava · Czech Republic

    Research on reconfigurable variable-stiffness robot links, flexible fingers for soft robotics, and a 3D-printing nozzle with a variable orifice diameter — from design and simulation through manufacturing, testing and publication.

  3. 2017 – 2021

    PhD in Robotics

    Dept. of Robotics, VŠB – Technical University of Ostrava · Czech Republic

    Doctoral research on the use of 3D printing in robot construction. Designed FinRay grippers, shape-changing manipulators, and methods for robot repeatability and flexible printed materials.

  4. 2015 – 2017

    Master's Degree (Ing.) in Mechanical Engineering — Robotics

    Dept. of Robotics, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, VŠB – Technical University of Ostrava · Czech Republic

    Graduate studies specialising in robotics. Master's thesis: Design of the Effector with Measurement of Gripping Force.

  5. 2015 – 2017

    Student Research in Mobile & Service Robotics

    VŠB – Technical University of Ostrava · Czech Republic

    Early work on mobile reconnaissance robots and the Crawler platform, and on gripping-force measurement for robotic effectors.

  6. 2013 – 2018

    Engineer

    Elektro Penco · Frýdek-Místek, Czech Republic

    Design, production and testing of 3D printers, their subsystems and machinery prototypes — including 3D-print modelling, PCB design and direct customer communication.

  7. 2012 – 2015

    Bachelor's Degree (Bc.) in Mechanical Engineering

    Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, VŠB – Technical University of Ostrava · Czech Republic

    Undergraduate studies in mechanical engineering — the foundation for the robotics specialisation that followed.

  8. 2006 – 2012

    High School Diploma in Mechanical Engineering

    Střední průmyslová škola, Obchodní akademie a Jazyková škola · Frýdek-Místek, Czech Republic

    Technical secondary education in mechanical engineering, completed with the Czech school-leaving examination (maturita).

Teaching & Supervision

Supervised 8 Bachelor's and Master's theses at VŠB – Technical University of Ostrava.

Taught lectures and exercises in Robotics, Soft Robotics, Kinematic & Dynamic Analysis, Structural Analysis, 3D Modelling and Robot Grippers.

Research Stays Abroad

  • HVL Robotics, Norway · 2024 — variable-stiffness robotic arms
  • ADMiRE Research Center, Carinthia UAS, Austria · 2023 — 5D printing and printed sensors for soft robotics
  • University of Innsbruck, Austria · 2023 — kinematics of closed-chain robots
  • LUT University, Finland · 2022 — nonlinear flexible-body analysis with ANCF
  • Technical University of Košice, Slovakia · 2022 — Robotics 3D printing

Publications

Sort by:
2026

Large language models in mechanical design of mechatronic systems: A review

Advanced Engineering Informatics

DOI: 10.1016/j.aei.2026.104807
Q1 IF 8.0
2025

Variable-Orifice-Size Nozzle for 3D Printing

Journal of Manufacturing and Materials Processing

DOI: 10.3390/jmmp9090308
Q2 IF 3.3
2025

Latency-Sensitive Wireless Communication in Dynamically Moving Robots for Urban Mobility Applications

Smart Cities

DOI: 10.3390/smartcities8040105
Q1 IF 5.5
2025

Internet of Robotic Things: Current Technologies, Challenges, Applications, and Future Research Topics

Sensors

DOI: 10.3390/s25030765
Q2 IF 3.5
2025

Robotický 3D tisk a měnitelný průměr trysky

MM Průmyslové spektrum

Popular science
2023

Design of Printing Parameter Settings Methodology for FFF Printing of Waterproof Samples from a Flexible Material

Acta Mechanica Slovaca

DOI: 10.21496/ams.2023.017
Scopus
2023

Implementation of an Embedded System into the Internet of Robotic Things

Micromachines

DOI: 10.3390/mi14010113
Q2 IF 3.0
2023

Camera Arrangement Optimization for Workspace Monitoring in Human–Robot Collaboration

Sensors

DOI: 10.3390/s23010295
Q2 IF 3.5
2023

The Effect of Deformation on Robot Shape-Changing Link

Advances in Service and Industrial Robotics. RAAD 2023. Mechanisms and Machine Science, vol. 135 (Springer)

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-32606-6_54
Conference paper
2022

Shape-Changing Manipulator Possibilities and the Effect of the Deformable Segment on the Size of the Working Area

Mechanisms and Machine Science

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-04870-8_32
Conference paper
2022

An Automated Conversion Between Selected Robot Kinematic Representations

10th International Conference on Control, Mechatronics and Automation (ICCMA 2022, Luxembourg)

DOI: 10.1109/ICCMA56665.2022.10011595
Conference paper
2021

Structural Optimization Method of a FinRay Finger for the Best Wrapping of Object

Applied Sciences

DOI: 10.3390/app11093858
Q2 IF 2.5
2021

Využití 3D tisku v konstrukci robotů

Dissertation – VŠB – Technical University of Ostrava

Dissertation
2020

Influence of Annealing Time on Tensile Strength and Change of Dimensions of PLA Samples Produced by Fused Filament Fabrication

Experimental Stress Analysis – 58th International Scientific Conference, EAN 2020

Conference paper
2020

Testing of Glued Joints on 3D Printed Flexible Materials Made by FFF Technology

Experimental Stress Analysis – 58th International Scientific Conference, EAN 2020

Conference paper
2018

Evaluation of Tensile Test for Specific Polymer

Applied Mechanics 2018 (Západočeská univerzita v Plzni)

Conference paper
2017

Semi-autonomous Robotic System for Reconnaissance

INES 2017 – 21st International Conference on Intelligent Engineering Systems (Larnaca, Cyprus)

DOI: 10.1109/INES.2017.8118540
Conference paper
2016

Modifications of the Mobile Robotic System Crawler

Transactions of the VŠB – Technical University of Ostrava, Mechanical Series

DOI: 10.22223/tr.2016-2/2019

Side projects

My playground outside the lab — things I build in the evenings, half to learn something new, half because tinkering is simply fun. No peer review, no deadlines.

Robotics · 85 interactive tools

RoboticsLab

RoboticsLab — the textbook I wish I had been given, except you can push it around. Eighty-five tools across eight tracks: mechanics, from a beam through gears, bearings and shafts to the kinematics and dynamics of a whole arm; electronics, from Ohm’s law through semiconductors to the bridge that drives a motor; control, from the PID loop through the Kalman filter to a camera used as an instrument; mathematics, which sits underneath all of it and where every formula can be played back as a derivation one term at a time; data and IT, from a single bit through a serial link and a network to the complexity of algorithms; wireless, from what it is that actually waves through Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to whether a machine may be controlled over any of it; hardware, from a logic level through a pin, a chip and a board to who in a whole robot talks to whom, and over what; and programming, which starts with what a machine actually does with an instruction and goes on to Python, Arduino, the Raspberry Pi and concurrency. Every one has a solver checked against independent methods, a textbook of its own, and figures with sliders on them. Plus one search box across every formula and chapter at once.

Open project
Language learning · two apps

Language learning

Letesh (English, A1–C2 plus a technical deck) and Leteno (a whole Norwegian Bokmål course, written while I was learning it myself). Vocabulary, grammar, listening, reading, pronunciation and a CEFR placement test — all scheduled by an FSRS-4.5 engine that works out what you are about to forget and asks you then.

Open project

Contact

Førde, Norway