Robotics and Mechatronics

Points of contact: Dr. Jianshu Zhou, Boyuan Liang

In Robotics and Mechatronics, we advance next-generation mechanical embodied intelligence through four integrated directions: (1) the design of dexterous, human-inspired, soft–rigid hybrid hands with tactile sensing for fine in-hand manipulation; (2) the development of modular manipulators with adaptive stiffness and enhanced dexterity, reachability, and manipulability; (3) intuitive human–robot interfaces for on-demand teleoperation and high-fidelity data collection; and (4) simulation frameworks that integrate novel robotic hardware with data-driven control for autonomous skill acquisition. We emphasize that both model-based methods and learning-based approaches are essential for achieving complex manipulation. While AI enables robots to infer object dynamics through visual and tactile inputs, robust real-world performance still demands physically capable, intelligent bodies. In addition to collaborating with leading AI researchers to address the sim-to-real gap, we are committed to developing advanced robotic embodiments that empower AI to interact more effectively with the physical world.

Robot Learning

Point of contact: Yixiao Wang

In robot learning research, our goal is to analyze and address critical challenges in developing generalist robot policies capable of diverse tasks across varied environments. Our current efforts focus on effective and scalable multimodal reasoning (vision, force, language) and policy representation learning, continual learning, and their generalizations.

Autonomous Driving

Point of contact: Dr. Wei Zhan, Yutaka Shimizu

To learn more about the research done at MSC in the past, you can download a research booklet here or check the “Previous Porjects” below.