PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Ruwan Gopura

Also known as Ruwan Chandra Gopura, Ranathunga Arachchilage Ruwan Chandra Gopura, රුවන් චන්ද්‍ර ගෝපුර

Ruwan Gopura is a robotics professor at the University of Moratuwa in Sri Lanka whose research covers prosthetic arms and exoskeleton robots that respond to a person's muscle signals. He earned an engineering degree at Moratuwa in 2004 and a PhD in robotics and intelligent systems at Saga University in Japan in 2009, where he worked under Kazuo Kiguchi on bionics and assistive robotics. After becoming a Senior Lecturer at Moratuwa in 2010, he guided the student teams that built the MoBio prosthetic arm in 2016 and the Anthro-X exoskeleton in 2017. From 2017 to 2020 he headed the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and from 2021 to 2024 he was founding Head of the Department of Medical Technology and Director/Research. Since January 2024, he is Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and a Senior Professor of mechanical engineering.

Now at
Faculty of Medicine, University of Moratuwa
Works
145
Citations
2,304
h-index
22
Badges

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 22 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. 2000–2004

    Engineering studies at Moratuwa

    He enters the University of Moratuwa in Sri Lanka in 2000 and graduates with a BSc Engineering (honours) degree in 2004. He then earns a Master of Engineering in Manufacturing Systems Engineering from the same university.

  2. 2009

    PhD in robotics at Saga

    He earns a PhD in robotics and intelligent systems at Saga University in Japan in 2009 under doctoral advisor Kazuo Kiguchi, and stays on there as a postdoctoral researcher working on bionics and assistive robotics.

  3. May 2010

    Senior lecturer at Moratuwa

    He becomes a Senior Lecturer at the University of Moratuwa in May 2010.

  4. 2016–2018

    A prosthetic arm and exoskeletons

    In 2016, undergraduates working under his guidance build MoBio, Sri Lanka's first robotic prosthetic arm, which reads electromyographic signals from the biceps and triceps of a transhumeral amputee to drive five degrees of freedom. In 2017, the Bionics Laboratory's Anthro-X, a functional lower extremity exoskeleton robot and a first for Sri Lanka, is demonstrated at the EXMO 2017 exhibition, with him and Pubudu Ranaweera guiding the student team. In 2018, final-year undergraduates under his supervision develop C-JAE, an ankle exoskeleton robot that supports all three degrees of freedom of the ankle joint.

  5. 2017–2020

    Head of Mechanical Engineering

    He serves as Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Moratuwa from 2017 to 2020. Alongside this, he chairs the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society Sri Lanka Section chapter from 2017 to 2020 and the IEEE Sri Lanka Section in 2020. In 2017, he also joins as a founding member of the university's Center for Advanced Robotics.

  6. February 2021–January 2024

    Founding Head of Medical Technology

    From February 2021 to January 2024, he serves as the founding Head of the Department of Medical Technology in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Moratuwa and as the university's Director/Research.

  7. 2022

    IEEE Sri Lanka volunteer award

    He wins the IEEE Sri Lanka Section's Most Outstanding Volunteer Award 2022 in the Member category, presented at the section awards in September 2022.

  8. Since January 2024

    Dean of Graduate Studies

    In January 2024, he becomes Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies at the University of Moratuwa. He is also a Senior Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, where he teaches undergraduate courses in intelligent systems in 2025 and robotics in 2026.

Career

  1. Since 2010University of MoratuwaSenior Lecturer, Head
  2. 2021–2024Faculty of Medicine, University of MoratuwaFounding Head
  3. 2009Saga UniversityPostdoctoral researcher

Education

  1. 2009Saga UniversityPhD in robotics and intelligent systems
  2. 2004University of MoratuwaBSc Engineering (honours)

From the biography and OpenAlex affiliations (the years of papers that list the organization), so some years are approximate.

Most-cited works

  1. Developments in hardware systems of active upper-limb exoskeleton robots: A review2015 · Robotics and Autonomous Systems · 480 citations
  2. SUEFUL-7: A 7DOF upper-limb exoskeleton robot with muscle-model-oriented EMG-based control2009 · IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) · 261 citations
  3. Mechanical designs of active upper-limb exoskeleton robots: State-of-the-art and design difficulties2009 · International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics · 195 citations
  4. A brief review on upper extremity robotic exoskeleton systems2011 · 136 citations
  5. A review on multi-agent systems in microgrid applications2011 · 58 citations

From OpenAlex, as of 21 October 2026.

  1. Google had the most people shaping AI every year from 2014 to 2025Our estimates of which organizations employed the most people shaping AI each year from 1955 to 2025, tracing the shift from university labs to companies.
  2. The United States employs an estimated 48% of people shaping AIWe estimate where the people shaping AI work today, how universities, companies and research institutes split across countries, and how country shares have changed since the 1960s.
  3. 43% of living people shaping AI work outside their country of birthWe estimate that 43% of living people shaping AI work outside their country of birth (520 of 1,198 people with known birth and employment countries).
  4. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionWe estimate where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led. Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads with 467 former students, including 291 recorded doctorates.

Colleagues

People with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Ruwan Gopura yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Ruwan Gopura - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org. Checked 20 October 2026.
  2. Prof. Ranathunga Arachchilage Ruwan Chandra Gopura (IJEECS editorial team) ijeecs.iaescore.com. Checked 20 October 2026.
  3. Prof. Ruwan Gopura Appointed as the dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies | University of Moratuwa uom.lk. Checked 20 October 2026.
  4. Robotic Prosthetic Arm developed by University of Moratuwa to help war victims | The Sunday Times Sri Lanka sundaytimes.lk. Checked 20 October 2026.
  5. SL’s first functional Lower Extremity Exoskeleton Robot to help the needy | The Sunday Times Sri Lanka sundaytimes.lk. Checked 20 October 2026.
  6. Moratuwa University develops “Compatible Joint Ankle Exoskeleton Robot” | The Sunday Times Sri Lanka sundaytimes.lk. Checked 20 October 2026.
  7. Prof.Ruwan Gopura | University of Moratuwa uom.lk. Checked 20 October 2026.
  8. Prof. Gopura receives the "Most Outstanding Volunteer Award 2022 (Member category)" from IEEE Sri Lanka Section | University of Moratuwa uom.lk. Checked 20 October 2026.