Research

Notice:

I am looking for students with background in Mechanical/Industrial/Robotics Engineering and/or Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning . If you are interested, please send an email to yicai@hkust-gz.edu.cn with your resume. Thank you.

Research Interests:

• Next-generation Additive Manufacturing Processes and Products. My research in this direction includes in-situ monitoring and closed-loop control micro droplet-based additive manufacturing, hybrid additive manufacturing using multiple cooperative robots, and additive manufacturing of novel structures, sensors and actuators for robots and intelligent systems.

• Innovative Robots for Future Manufacturing and Services. My research in this direction involves novel design and applications of novel rigid-flexible coupled robots with reconfigurable modules, AR-enhanced human-centric cognitive interface with AI for human-robot interaction, autonomous robotic system for water surface operations, and autonomous mobile service robots for additive manufacturing factories.

• Cyber-physical Systems and Digital Twins for Advanced Engineering Systems. My research is to develop cyber-physical systems and digital twins for monitoring, analysis, simulation and optimization of advanced manufacturing systems (e.g., CNC and AM) using multimodal sensor data and artificial intelligence tools.

• Technology-driven Pedagogies for STEM Education and Training. By developing novel learning and training modules that leverage AR, VR and IoT, my research is to identify effective pedagogies for better accomplishing the various learning objectives and enhancing the learning experience of STEM students.

Research Team:

Graduated PhD Advisees:

•   Zhongyuan Liao, PhD, graduated in Summer 2024.

Topic: AI-assisted and AR-enhanced Reconfigurable Soft Robots: A Digital Twin Approach

•   Tao Li, PhD, graduated in Summer 2025.

Topic: Design, Modeling, and Development of Autonomous Surface Manipulator Systems for Ocean Manufacturing

Current PhD Advisees:

•   Zhiyuan Qi, PhD candidate, expected to graduate in Fall 2026.

Topic: Decision Analysis in Circular Economy Supply Chain

•   Leihan Zhang, PhD candidate, expected to graduate in Summer 2026.

Topic: In-situ Monitoring and Quality Assurance for Micro droplet-based Additive Manufacturing

•   Huangyi Qu, PhD student, expected to graduate in Fall 2026.

Topic: AR-enhanced Rehabilitation Robot using Multi-sensor Fusion and Shared Control

•   Yuer Gao, PhD candidatee, expected to graduate in Fall 2026

Topic: Underwater Robotic Manufacturing System

•   Tongqing Xu, PhD student, expected to graduate in Summer 2027

Topic: Service Robots for Additive Manufacturing Factory

•   Jianhao Chen, PhD student, expected to graduate in Summer 2027.

Topic: Shared-sensing and Decision Making between Human and Robots

•   Wanzhen Wei, PhD student, expected to graduate in Summer 2027.

Topic: Flexible Electronics for Advanced Applications

•   Xiangyang Dong, PhD student, expected to graduate in Summer 2027.

Topic: In-situ Monitoring and Quality Assurance for Additive Manufacturing

•   Wenlong Ouyang, PhD student, expected to graduate in Fall 2028.

Topic: Design, Fabrication and Control of Novel Companion Robot

•   Qingyang Liu, PhD student, expected to graduate in Summer 2029.

Topic: Soft Robots for Advanced Manufacturing and Medical Applications

•   Peilin Ye, PhD student, expected to graduate in Summer 2028.

Topic: Novel Robots for Ocean Manufacturing and Operations

•   Feng Zhan, PhD student, expected to graduate in Summer 2029.

Topic: Large Models for Smart Manufacturing and Maintenance

Graduated MPhil Advisees:

•   Jianhao Chen, MPhil, graduated in Summer 2024.

Topic: Robot-assisted Interactive Simulation Environment in VR for Industrial Training

•   Wanzhen Wei, MPhil, graduated in Summer 2024.

Topic: Electronic Textile with Plug-and-play Modules

•   John Lucky Tutor, MPhil, graduated in Summer 2024.

Topic: Monitoring Rehabilitation of Stroke Patients using Automated Fugl-Meyer Assessment: a Digital Twin Approach

First Runner-up, 2024 MPhil Thesis Writing Competition

•   Mingjun Chen, MPhil, graduated in Summer 2025.

Topic: Automatic Spatial Calibration for Dual-nozzle Extrusion-based 3D Printers

•   Haosong Xu, MPhil, graduated in Summer 2025.

Topic: Parallel 3D Printing with Dual Nozzles

•   Xin Li, MPhil student, graduated in Summer 2025.

Topic: Multi-target Recommendation Algorithm of Printing Orientation for Extrusion-based Additive Manufacturing

•   Jiansheng Li, MPhil student, graduated in Summer 2025.

Topic: Real-Time Expressive Motion Generation for 6-DOF Companion Robotic Arms

Current MPhil Advisees:

•   Liang Zhu, MPhil student, expected to graduate in Summer 2026.

Topic: Collecting Grasping Datasets from Games for Robot Training

•   Lun Tan, MPhil student, expected to graduate in Summer 2026.

Topic: Design of Gear Transmission System for Smart Electric Assist Bicycles

•   Junzhe Wang, MPhil student, expected to graduate in Summer 2026.

Topic: Multimodal Target Recognition and Decision-Making using EEG and AR for Robots

•   Yiheng Zhong, MPhil student, expected to graduate in Summer 2027.

Topic: Flexible Electronics for Health Monitoring of Athletes

•   Yu Zhao, MPhil student, expected to graduate in Summer 2027.

Topic: Enhancing humanoid mobility via feet sensors

Undergraduate Advisees:

•      Shuran Peng, Mingyu Chen, Pingrui Huang, Jiamu Li, Xiaoge Yan, Chengxuan Yuan, Fall 2025.

•      Jianning Zhu, Jiahong Liu, Dohun Lee, Haoyu He, Yantian Wang, Pengbo Jiang, Zhiyuan Li, Hongxu Chen, Spring 2025.

•   Hongxu Chen, Xunzhi Cai, Chengtan Zhang, Fall 2024.

•   Yaolou Niu, Yin Lam Chan, Hongliang He, Fall 2024.

•   Binkai Liu, Xueyi Luo, Yuhan Chen, Spring 2024.

•   Ziren Tang, Zihan Wang, Yuting Xiao, Fall 2023.

Professional Memberships:

•            广州市科学技术局科技专家库，2022至今

•            广东省机械工程学会智能制造分会理事，2025至今

•            广东省机械工程学会工业软件分会理事，2026至今

•            中国图学学会数字孪生专业委员会委员，2024至今

•            中国复合材料学会复合材料增材制造专业委员会委员，2024至今

•   Member of Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), 2017 - Present

•   Member of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), 2016 - Present

•   Member of Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE), 2016 – Present