About me
I am a Mechanical Engineer with a strong passion for Robotics. Over the years, I have worked on various robotics projects, including OSAKE, a self-learning robot 🤖 that continues to evolve as a practical embodiment of my research interests.
In my current role, I contribute to the research and development of automation tools at Oriental Yeast Co. Ltd (a Nisshin Seifun Group subsidiary). I am also committed to continuous learning and actively enhancing my project management skills to better lead and execute complex, multidisciplinary projects.
At the Institute of Science Tokyo (formerly Tokyo Tech), I am pursuing my Master’s degree with a focus on next-generation actuators and lightweight collaborative robots. My research includes advanced actuator development at the Yaskawa Future Technology Laboratory, as well as exploring reservoir computing at the University of Cambridge.
Beyond my professional and academic work, I create short documentaries on my YouTube channel, Explained (@explainedshow), where I simplify complex topics for a broader audience.
Let’s connect and explore the future of robotics and automation together.
Resume
Summary
Varun Chavan
Mechanical Engineer with interest in Robotics, Machine Design and Prototyping
- Itabashi City, Tokyo, Japan
- varunchavan20@gmail.com
Education
Master in Mechanical Engineering
2024 - 2026
Institute of Science Tokyo (Formerly Tokyo Tech)
Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering
2017 - 2020
Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune
CGPA : 8.86
Diploma in Mechanical Engineering
2014 - 2017
Government Polytechnic Khamgaon
Percentage : 89.47%
Professional Experience
Research Engineer
June 2022 – Present
Oriental Yeast Company Ltd, Tokyo, Japan
- Lead and deployed company-wide Spare Part Management System.
- Development and Beta testing of Production Forecasting System.
Visiting Researcher
Sep 2025 – Nov 2025
University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Ongoing research work on Physical Reservoir Computing for Medical Robotics
Junior Research Fellow
Aug 2021 – May 2022
Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar, India
- Designed and developed research-grade OSAKE robot.
- Implemented adaptive control (LabVIEW FPGA on NI sbRIO-9629).
- Demonstrated generalization and human-like learning ability on OSAKE.
Summer Intern
June 2019 – July 2019
Toyo Engineering Ltd, Mumbai, India
- Worked on flare design for a chemical plant.
- Supported selection of glass-reinforced safety tanks.
Publications
Research Papers
Feature-Conditioned Reinforcement Learning for Generalizable Engineering Optimization: A multi-modal benchmark study
Status: Accepted at IEEE/SICE International Symposium for System Integration 2026 (SII26), Cancun, Mexico.
Hierarchical Feature-Conditioned Reinforcement Learning for Generalizable Mixed-Integer IPMSM Design Optimization
Status: Accepted at International Conference on Electrical Machines and Systems 2026 (ICEMS26), Singapore.
Projects
OSAKE
Optimal Stiffness and Control Experimentation Robot
OSAKE is a robot with human-like learning properties that learns optimal impedance from repeated physical interactions with the environment.
ATAV
All-Terrain Autonomous Vehicle
The project delivers items autonomously and is able to travel on any terrain.
Farming Bicycle
Semi-Automated Seed & Fertilizer Sowing Bicycle
Performs farming operations like ploughing, seed sowing, and fertilizer spreading with minimal cost and human effort.
YouTube Content
Explained
