Luyang Zhao

Hello! I’m Luyang Zhao, a PhD candidate studying in Computer Science at Dartmouth College, mentored by Professor Devin Balkcom, and collaborating with Professor Kostas Bekris, Professor Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio, Professor Xiaonan Huang and Dr. Joran Booth. I earned double majors in Computer Science and Mathematics during my undergraduate years at the University of Minnesota, during which I worked on research projects with Professor Maria Gini. My research domain is diverse, encompassing Soft Robots, Modular Robots, Multi-robot Systems, Motion Planning, SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping), and Reinforcement Learning.

Lately, I’ve been deeply involved in the design and analysis of self-assembling soft modular robots. These robots have the unique capability to autonomously adapt and navigate across varied terrains, especially in challenging situations like crossing gaps, maneuvering over obstacles, and navigating through narrow passageways, as well as build active human-scale structures such as tent, scaffolding with the help of drone.

Feel free to connect with me via email at luyang.zhao.gr@dartmouth.edu or through the social media links provided at the bottom of this page.

Recent Highlights

• Jan 31, 2024: Video submission accepted by ICRA 2024
• December, 2023: Become Admissions Ambassador for Dartmouth College
• October 5, 2023: Presented my new work in our Tensegrity workshop in IROS
• August 15, 2023: My recent research got picked up by tech xplore!
• August 14, 2023: Delighted to announce that my recent research work was spotlighted on Dartmouth College’s official website.
• June 6, 2023: Honored to have tied for 2nd place in the 2023 Neukom Outstanding Graduate Research Prize.
• May 12, 2023: Thrilled to share that a paper I led has been accepted for publication in RA-L (Robotics and Automation Letters).
• April 28, 2023: Delighted to announce that our Tensegrity workshop proposal for IROS has been accepted. I’m proud to serve as a co-organizer.
• Jan 11, 2023: Visited Professor Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio’s lab in Yale University with Professor Kostas Bekris’s team from Rutgers University to discuss collaborations and share insights.

Publications

1. 

   Shape-Changing Modular Blocks Enable Self-assembling Robotic Structures Luyang Zhao, Yitao Jiang, Kostas Bekris, and Devin Balkcom Submitted to Science Robotics (Under Review) 2024
2. 

   Unsupervised Reinforcement Learning for Task-Specific Design of Soft Modular Robots In preparation to submit to CoRL in May 2024
3. 

   Variable-Stiffness Modular Robots for Dynamic Aquatic Environments: Locomotion, Manipulation, and Collective Assembly In preparation to submit to RA-L in July 2024
4. 

   Design and Implementation of an Untethered Underwater Glider Using Syringe-Based Actuation Mechanisms In preparation to submit to ICRA in Sep. 2024
5. 

   SeeSea: Multi-modal 3D Perception Dataset of In-water Obstacles for Navigation of Autonomous Surface Vehicles In preparation to submit to IJRR in March. 2024

1. 

   StarBlocks: Soft Actuated Self-Connecting Blocks for Building Deformable Lattice Structures Luyang Zhao, Yijia Wu, Wenzhong Yan, Weishu Zhan, Xiaonan Huang, Joran Booth, Ankur Mehta, Kostas Bekris, Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio, and Devin Balkcom IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters 2023 [Abs] [Video] [PDF]

   In this paper, we present a soft modular block inspired by tensegrity structures that can form load-bearing structures through self-assembly. The block comprises a stellated compliant skeleton, shape memory alloy muscles, and permanent magnet connectors. We classify five deformation primitives for individual blocks: bend, compress, stretch, stand, and shrink, which can be combined across modules to reason about full-lattice deformation. Hierarchical function is abundant in nature and in human-designed systems. Using multiple self-assembled lattices, we demonstrate the formation and actuation of 3-dimensional shapes, including a load-bearing pop-up tent, a self-assembled wheel, a quadruped, a block-based robotic arm with gripper, and non-prehensile manipulation. To our knowledge, this is the first example of active deformable modules (blocks) that can reconfigure into different load-bearing structures on-demand.

1. 

   Soft Lattice Modules That Behave Independently and Collectively Luyang Zhao, Yijia Wu, Julien Blanchet, Maxine Perroni-Scharf, Xiaonan Huang, Joran Booth, Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio, and Devin Balkcom IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters 2022 [Abs] [arXiv] [Video] [PDF]

   Natural systems integrate the work of many sub-units (cells) toward a large-scale unified goal (morphological and behav- ioral), which can counteract the effects of unexpected experiences, damage, or simply changes in tasks demands. In this letter, we exploit the opportunities presented by soft, modular, and tensegrity robots to introduce soft lattice modules that parallel the sub-units seen in biological systems. The soft lattice modules are comprised of 3D printed plastic “skeletons,” linear contracting shape mem- ory alloy spring actuators, and permanent magnets that enable adhesion between modules. The soft lattice modules are capable of independent locomotion, and can also join with other modules to achieve collective, self-assembled, larger scale tasks such as collective locomotion and moving an object across the surface of the lattice assembly. This work represents a preliminary step toward soft modular systems capable of independent and collective behaviors, and provide a platform for future studies on distributed control.

1. 

   PLRC*: A piecewise linear regression complex for approximating optimal robot motion Luyang Zhao, Josiah Putman, Weifu Wang, and Devin Balkcom 2020 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) 2020 [PDF]
2. 

   Piecewise linear regressions for approximating distance metrics Josiah Putman, Lisa Oh, Luyang Zhao, Evan Honnold, Galen Brown, Weifu Wang, and Devin J. Balkcom ArXiv 2020 [arXiv] [PDF]

1. 

   LLDM: Locally linear distance maps for robot motion planning: Extended Abstract Josiah Putman, Lisa Oh, Luyang Zhao, Evan Honnold, Galen Brown, Weifu Wang, and Devin Balkcom 2019 International Symposium on Multi-Robot and Multi-Agent Systems (MRS) 2019 [PDF]

1. 

   Assistive AI for Coping with Memory Loss Libby Ferland, Ziwei Li, Shridhar Sukhani, Joan Zheng, Luyang Zhao, and Maria L. Gini AAAI Workshops 2018 [PDF]

Teaching

• Lab Mentor: Dartmouth Reality and Robotics Lab (Sep. 2018 - Now)
  • Master students: Yijia Wu (2021-2022, now PhD student at WPI), Yitao Jiang (2022-now), Weishu Zhan (2022)
  • Undergraduate students: Josiah Putman (now in Google), Maxine Perroni-Scharf (now PhD student at MIT)
• Teaching Assistant: Dartmouth College (Sep. 2018 - Now)
  • CS81/281 : Principles of Robot Design and Programming – 2018 Fall
  • CS76/276 : Artificial Intelligence – 2018 Winter, 2019 Fall and 2023 Fall
  • CS1 : Introduction to Programming and Computation – 2019 Spring and 2020 Spring
  • CS50 : Software Design and Implementation – 2019 Summer
• Teaching Assistant: Summer Computing Academy, University of Minnesota (June 2017)
  • Assisted senior high school students in developing programs for Scribbler robots, image processing, video, 3D printing, and other applications.

Visitors