On a weekday morning inside Re:Build Fikst’s Massachusetts innovation space, gears hum, sensors blink awake and mechanical prototypes begin their carefully choreographed movements.
At the center of it all is Manan Luthra, a quiet conductor of robotics, automation and systems integration. But long before he was helping shape the future of advanced manufacturing, Luthra was a graduate student seeking a program that would teach him not just how robots work but how to bring entire systems to life.
Originally from New Delhi, India, Luthra came to Arizona State University to pursue advanced studies. He graduated in 2023 with a master’s degree in robotics and autonomous systems with a concentration in systems engineering.
As a student in the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at ASU, he was drawn to the program’s interdisciplinary structure — one that would allow him to merge mechanical design, embedded systems, software and user workflows into complete solutions.
“ASU’s robotics and autonomous systems program gave me a strong foundation in both fundamental principles and the systems-level thinking essential for real-world robotics,” he says. “Every project required balancing mechanical design, software behavior, user needs and system performance as one connected problem.”
That training would become the bedrock of a career already spanning federal research and high-impact industrial engineering.
A career engineered for innovation
After graduating, Luthra joined the National Institutes of Health as a contractor supporting advanced automation efforts at the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. There, he tackled the big question behind every robotics breakthrough: not what should be automated, but why.
“The goal was never to automate for automation’s sake,” Luthra says. “We focused on areas where scale, repetition or precision made automation the most valuable.”
To understand where automation could help the most, Luthra and his team followed the entire journey of a sample through the lab. They watched scientists prep materials, measure and move tiny amounts of liquid, set up reactions and process results. Anywhere things got repetitive or slowed researchers down, they took note of. Luthra then built tools and robotic systems that handled those steps automatically, turning once-manual tasks into reliable, push-button workflows.
The results were immediate and measurable. Several of these automated tools are now being used regularly in research projects, allowing scientists to run more experiments faster and get results that are more reliable.
“What I’m most proud of is how these systems validated new possibilities for the lab,” he says. “Seeing researchers respond to improvements in reliability and reduced manual burden made the engineering effort especially rewarding.”
Today, as a roboticist at Re:Build, Luthra applies those same principles at an even broader scale. His work spans mechanical design, motion systems, sensor integration, embedded control, testing and manufacturability, often serving as the bridge between ideas and deployable robotic hardware.
“A key part of my role is translating early-stage concepts into functional, field-ready solutions,” he says. “ASU’s emphasis on hands-on engineering, rapid iteration and system-level thinking prepared me exceptionally well for those challenges.”
Education for a rapidly evolving robotics field
Luthra credits ASU’s robotics master’s program with shaping both his technical skill set and the mindset with which he approaches engineering problems.
The program’s interdisciplinary curriculum exposed him to mechanical systems, human-robot interaction, artificial intelligence and more. But beyond coursework, the culture of experimentation and iteration left the most lasting imprint.
“The research environment at ASU taught me to prototype early, test ideas quickly and debug methodically,” he says. “Those habits have become some of the most transferable tools in both research and industry.”
He also points to faculty mentors who shaped his approach to robotics. Courses with Troy McDaniel, a Fulton Schools assistant professor of manufacturing engineering, pushed Luthra to identify real-world needs and design user-centered mechatronic solutions. Courses in robotic systems taught by Sangram Redkar, associate director of the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks and a professor of manufacturing engineering, strengthened Luthra’s understanding of how robotic systems are modeled and integrated.
“These experiences helped me think holistically,” Luthra says. “Instead of treating each component in isolation, I naturally think in terms of the entire system and how all the pieces influence one another.”
That systems mindset is exactly what the robotics and autonomous systems program was built for. From automotive autonomy to biotech automation, the master’s degree program prepares graduates for careers in rapidly growing fields. With access to advanced labs, students gain hands-on experience designing robotic platforms that operate in complex, real-world environments.
Advice for future roboticists
As someone working at the intersection of research and industry, Luthra is candid about what helps students succeed.
“My biggest advice is to focus on building as many hands-on projects as possible,” he says. “Progress comes from building, testing and iterating — not waiting for the perfect design.”
He also encourages students to develop cross-disciplinary comfort, document their work clearly and embrace debugging as a core engineering skill. And for those worried about competition in the job market?
“Focus on building skills, not collecting titles,” Luthra says. “A strong project portfolio often speaks louder than a resume.”
A future of flexible, accessible robotics
What excites Luthra most about the field is its transformation toward flexible and adaptive automation.
“For a long time, automation was designed for highly structured environments,” he says. “Now we’re moving toward systems that can handle variation, learn from data and adapt to changing workflows in real time.”
His own work is contributing to that shift, helping bridge the gap between early-stage concepts and reliable, real-world implementations. Whether developing custom mechanisms or refining hardware for field use, Luthra is committed to making advanced automation more accessible and scalable.
If he could start his career over, Luthra says he would change only one thing.
“I would stress less early on,” he says. “Every step, even the messy ones, taught me something that shaped where I am now.”
