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Opportunities
PhD/MPhil (2026Fall)/Full time RA: The candidate will work on flexible robots concerning i) sensor-based control, ii) robophysical simulation, iii) teleoperation, iv) robot modeling, or v) VR/XR for robot interaction. For RA, s/he will be expected to work in Hong Kong for at least TEN months. Candidates with DJI-RM / ICRA / VR / robotics-related challenge experience will be a great plus. [Re-post on Jul, 2025]
Prospective students from ME/EE/CS/Control/Robotics/Software or related disciplines are welcome to email me. Please note that I may not be able to respond to everyone due to the high volume of emails.
Interested candidates are expected to attach the following 3 documents:
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Detailed CV
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Publications / Writing samples (i.e., PDFs of your papers)
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Research portfolio (no more than 3 slides demonstrating whatever you like)
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"Gravity-Aware Soft Slender Robots"
Jiewen Lai, Tian-Ao Ren, Pengfei Ye, Yanjun Liu, Jingyao Sun, Hongliang Ren*
Under Review, 2025
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Innovating Robot-assisted Surgery through Large Vision Models
Zhe Min†, Jiewen Lai†, Hongliang Ren*
Nature Reviews Electrical Engineering, 2025
DOI
Reposted by Nature Portfolio
tl;dr: A Perspective in Nature Reviews Electrical Engineering discusses how large vision models can enhance vision-related tasks in robot-assisted surgery transforming ‘surgical robots’ into ‘robotic surgeons.’ — Nature Portfolio
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Large-Scale Selective Micropatterning with Robotics nDEP Tweezers and Hydrogel Encapsulation
Kaicheng Huang, Jiewen Lai, Hongliang Ren, Chunhui Wu, Xing Cheng, Henry K. Chu*
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2024
pdf
tl;dr: Patterning micro particles (cells) using negative dielectrophoresis (nDEP) tweezer in batches and encapsulating them into hydrogel for tissue engineering.
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Gesture-based Steering Framework for Redundant Soft Robots
Jiewen Lai,
Bo Lu, Kaicheng Huang, Henry K. Chu*
IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics (T-MECH), 2024
pdf
video
code
tl;dr: A steering framework for redundant soft manipulators using real-time hand motion and gestures.
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Sim-to-Real Transfer of Soft Robotic Navigation Strategies That
Learns from the Virtual Eye-in-Hand Vision
Jiewen Lai†,
Tian-Ao Ren,
Wenchao Yue,
Shijian Su,
Jason Chan,
Hongliang Ren*
IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics (T-II), 2023
pdf
video
code
sofa archive
tl;dr: Transferring the navigation strategy that a redundant
soft robot learns from what it has seen in the SOFA-based virtual world to the real world.
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Lightweight Pneumatically Elastic Backbone Structure with Modular
Construction and Nonlinear Interaction for Soft Actuators
Yang Yang,
Jiewen Lai,
Chaochao Xu, Zhiguo He, Pengcheng Jiao, Hongliang Ren*
Soft Robotics (SoRo), 2023
pdf
videos
tl;dr: Robotizing any strip-shaped balloons with mechanically
programmed 3D-printed shells.
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Reconstructing External Force on the Circumferential Body of
Continuum Robot With Embedded Proprioceptive Sensors
Qingxiang Zhao,
Jiewen Lai,
Henry K. Chu*
IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics (T-IE), 2022
pdf
video
tl;dr: Endowing proprioception to soft robots with embedded
eGaIn vein through learning.
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Constrained Motion Planning of A Cable-Driven Soft Robot with
Compressible Curvature Modeling
Jiewen Lai,
Bo Lu,
Henry K. Chu*
IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L), 2022
pdf
video1
video2
code
tl;dr: Tip pose and whole-body motion planning of a 7-DOF soft
robot in constrained environments considering the cable-driven-induced length
change of its soft body.
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Variable-Stiffness Control of A Dual-Segment Soft Robot using Depth
Vision
Jiewen Lai,
Bo Lu, Henry K. Chu*
IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics (T-MECH), 2021
pdf
video
tl;dr: Controlling the soft robot's 3D motion & stiffness in
real time with antagonistic cable actuation strategy based on eye-to-hand depth vision.
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Verticalized-Tip Trajectory Tracking of A 3D-Printable Soft
Continuum Robot: Enabling Surgical Blood Suction Automation
Jiewen Lai,
Kaicheng Huang, Bo Lu, Qingxiang Zhao, Henry K. Chu*
IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics (T-MECH), 2021
pdf
video
tl;dr: Configuration constraints on a redundant soft robot,
with rapid IK, solved through point cloud projection and image-based liquid
suction planning.
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Toward Vision-based Adaptive Configuring of A Bidirectional
Two-Segment Soft Continuum Manipulator
Jiewen Lai,
Kaicheng Huang, Bo Lu, and Henry K. Chu*
IEEE/ASME International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics
(AIM), 2020
pdf
video
tl;dr: Steering and servoing a two-segment soft robot's 2D pose with eye-to-hand vision in real-time - regardless of the static payload.
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A Learning-based Inverse Kinematics Solver for a Multi-Segment Continuum Robot in Robot-Independent Mapping
Jiewen Lai,
Kaicheng Huang, and Henry K. Chu*
IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Biomimetics (ROBIO), 2019
pdf
code
best paper finalist award
tl;dr: Utilizing a lightweight MLP model to learn a redundant soft robot's IK through its simplified DH model.
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Research Grants
General Research Fund, Research Grants Council
"CryroFR"
PI, HKD 1.1M, 2026 to 2028.
International Research Exploration Seed Grant, Stanford University
"Gecko-inspired variable stiffness flexible robot"
Co-PI, USD 25K, 2026 to 2027.
PI: Prof. Mark R. Cutkosky (Fletcher Jones Professor, Dept of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University)
General Program - Guangdong Natural Science Fund, Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundataion
"Soft Robophysical Simulation"
PI, CNY 100K, 2025 to 2028.
Young Scientists Fund, Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)
Coupled Tendon-driven Continuum Robots for R-MIS
PI, CNY 300K, 2025-01 to 2027-12.
Direct Grant, CUHK Research Committee
Flexible Endoscopic Robots for Transluminal-Submucosal Drug Delivery
PI, 2024-01 to 2025-12.
IdeaBooster Fund Award, Venture Acceleration Office, CUHK InnoPort
"Miniature Notched Tubular Soft Robots"
PI, HKD 100K, 2023-06 to 2024-12 (Completed).
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Professional Memberships
Senior Member, Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society (CMES)
Member, IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (RAS)
Member, Chinese Association of Automation (CAA)
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Professional Services
Associate Editor (AE): ICRA'25, ICRA'24
Workshop Organizer
- The 3rd C4SR+ workshop at IROS 2025
- The 2nd C4SR+ workshop at ICRA 2024
Guest Editor: Actuators
Reviewer: IEEE/ASME T-MECH, IEEE RA-L, IEEE T-II, IEEE T-IE, IEEE T-ASE, IEEE Access, JFR, Nonlinear Dyn, IJMRCAS, Biomim Intell Robot, Sensors
Reviewer for conferences: IROS'25, ICRA'25, ICSR'24, IROS'24, RCAR'24, ICRA'24, RoboSoft'23, ARM'22, ICRA'22, ICRA'21, ICAR'21, AIM'20, CASE'20, IROS'19, ROBIO'19
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 Your local time:
Thanks for the template
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