Roboticist with an MBA
Harsh Bharat
Kakashaniya
Think like a proton. Always positive.
About Me
I'm a Senior Manager of Robotics Software Engineering at ArcBest Technologies, leading the team that builds autonomous warehouse robotics systems at scale. Over 7 years at ArcBest — growing from robotics intern all the way to senior leadership — I've shaped every layer of the stack: multi-agent planning, computer vision, perception pipelines, autonomous navigation, and fleet-scale production deployments.
Alongside my engineering career, I'm pursuing an Executive MBA in Entrepreneurship & Innovation Management at the University of Arkansas — Sam M. Walton College of Business. This blend of deep technical expertise and business strategy lets me connect robotics R&D with product vision, team growth, and real-world impact at scale.
My roots are in Robotics Engineering — M.Eng. from the University of Maryland (GPA 3.93) and B.E. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT College of Engineering, Pune. I'm passionate about SLAM, autonomous navigation, multi-robot coordination, and machine learning applied to real industrial environments.
Work Experience
My professional journey in robotics and engineering
ArcBest Technologies — Fort Smith, AR
- Leading the Robotics Software Engineering team, driving architecture, strategy, and delivery of autonomous warehouse robotics systems at scale.
- Responsible for team growth, technical roadmap, and cross-functional collaboration across hardware, product, and operations.
- Overseeing development of multi-agent planning, perception, and autonomous navigation stacks for production deployment.
ArcBest Technologies — Fort Smith, AR
- Managed Perception & Planning sub-teams within the Robotics & Automation group.
- Drove path planning, computer vision, and multi-agent coordination efforts for warehouse autonomous systems.
- Led cross-functional project delivery across hardware, software, and operations stakeholders.
ArcBest Technologies — Fort Smith, AR
- Built complete warehouse simulation ecosystem in Webots for testing multi-agent autonomous systems.
- Developed Robot Fleet Management System to unify communication across heterogeneous agents.
- Designed centralized scheduling and planning platform for multiple agent types and quantities.
- Containerized independent systems using Docker for memory efficiency and deployment consistency.
ArcBest Technologies — Fort Smith, AR
- Implemented bidirectional path planning algorithms on differential-constraint vehicles for dynamic environments.
- Localization in known environments using Aruco Tags and odometry via Kalman filter.
- Pose estimation of robot attachment for autonomous docking using computer vision.
University of Maryland Robotics Center — College Park, MD
- Designed and implemented autonomous Hydroponic system with image recognition for plant health monitoring.
- Built 3-axis gantry system with precise end effector for plant maintenance using Robotic End Effectors.
ACG Worldwide — Talegaon, Pune, India
- Developed "Robotic Pick-and-Place" (3D SCARA of RRP type) — first company in India with a robotic transfer system, showcased at P-Mech Exhibition 2018.
- Launched biscuit transfer attachment for packing 110 biscuits/min, opening a new FMCG business avenue.
- Led Value Addition & Value Engineering, achieving significant cost reductions across the design department.
- Improved output efficiency by 15%, setting a record for machines produced in Sep 2016.
Soft_illusion
Interested in Robotics and Simulation and wish to make a difference? Then you are probably at the right place. Soft_Illusion is a YouTube channel that aims to help the robotics community with easy-to-learn tutorials on the Webots robot simulator — from basic installation to advanced applications.
Skills
Tools, languages, and frameworks I work with
