Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Derick Suarez is pioneering the intersection of robotics, digital twin technology, and traditional metalworking. His research centers on automating the English wheel—a manual sheet metal forming tool—to achieve the flexibility and repeatability of skilled craftsmanship in modern manufacturing. Suarez’s major contributions include developing a framework for a digital twin mixed-reality application that enables human-robot bi-directional collaboration for forming double-curvature plates, and designing an integrated English wheel system with vision-based motion capture for in-process part tracking and shape measurement. His most-cited work, “Robot forming: Automated English wheel as an avenue for flexibility and repeatability” (2023, 5 citations), establishes the foundational feasibility of this automation. Suarez has also advanced Industry 4.0 by proposing a real-time VR-enabled digital twin framework for multi-user interaction, enhancing collaborative manufacturing. With a total of 16 citations across his top papers, Suarez’s innovative fusion of robotics, digital twins, and traditional metalworking is shaping the future of smart, human-robot collaborative manufacturing.