Richard Suphapol Diteesawat
Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow at the School of Engineering Mathematics and Technology, University of Bristol, UK.
🎓 News - PhD Scholarship opportunities
If you are interested in soft robotics, smart materials and structures, and robotic textiles, and are passionate about developing wearable assistive technologies and next-generation robotic clothing, and would like to pursue a PhD at University of Bristol (UK) in 2026, please explore PhD scholarship opportunties linked below and contact me at richard.diteesawat@bristol.ac.uk.
These projects are to apply for University of Bristol Postgraduate Research Scholarships and CSC/UoB PhD Scholarships. Please check your eligibility for these PhD opportunities. The internal application deadline is 17th November 2025.
If you are not eligible for these specific scholarships but have exciting research ideas related to these area, you are welcome to get in touch to discuss alternative funding options or collaborations.
About Me
Richard Suphapol Diteesawat, Ph.D. leads research in advancing intelligent robotic textiles for next-generation assistive clothing. His current research focuses on high-power textile muscles, smart sensing and energy-harvesting textiles, and the integration of embedded intelligence into robotic garments to enable long-term, personalised mobility support.
Richard received his B.Eng in Mechanical Engineering from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, in 2015, where he worked as Research Assistant developing XGlove, a series of three hand rehabilitating devices for stroke patients. He later pursued and earned his Ph.D. in Robotics and Autonomous Systems from University of Bristol, UK, in 2020, where he developed novel soft robotic fluidic artificial muscles.
Since 2017, he has contributed to three major EPSRC healthcare research projects at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory: the Right Trousers – Wearable Soft Robotics Project (Research Associate, 2017-2018), the ÂŁ1.5M FREEHAB Project on wearable rehabilitation for stroke patients (Senior Research Associate, 2020-2024) and the ÂŁ13.4M VIVO Healthcare Technologies Hub for Enhanced Independent Living (Co-investigator, from 2024). His research advances mobility rehabilitation for ageing populations and individuals with physical disabilities and neurological injuries (including, stroke, spinal cord, and brain trauma), as well as human augmentation technologies for industrial and space applications, and innovation translation. In 2025, he was awarded a prestigious five-year Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowship, supporting his current research on intelligent robotic textiles for next-generation assistive clothing and future assistive technologies.
Robotic Textiles
at University of Bristol
We are forming an interdisciplinary research team that integrates soft robotics, smart materials, and functional textiles to innovate advanced, adaptive and interactive robotic textiles and clothing. Our focus is on developing soft robotic actuation and sensing technologies and smart metamaterials that will power wearable robotics, assistive devices, and responsive structures. By bridging materials science, robotics, and artificial intelligence, we aim to redefine how textiles can move, sense, and respond—transforming the future of smart clothing, healthcare, and human–machine interaction.
Robotic Textiles is part of the Soft Robotics Research group (SoftLab) at the University of Bristol and Bristol Robotics Laboratory—the UK’s largest and most comprehensive academic centre for multidisciplinary robotics research.