IEEE ICMA 2022 Conference
Plenary Talk 1

Future of Robotics: The Tri-Co (Coexisting-Cooperative-Cognitive) Robots

Han Ding, Ph.D.

Professor

Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences

School of Mechanical Engineering

Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China

dinghan@hust.edu.cn

http://english.mse.hust.edu.cn

Abstract: Tri-Co Robots (Coexisting-Cooperative-Cognitive Robots) are those that can naturally interact and collaborate with the environment, including humans as well as other robots, and adapt to new situations. Coexistence will allow robots to ubiquitously and safely work alongside humans, considerably increasing our efficiency and quality of life. Cooperation will enable robots to collaborate and coordinate effectively with other agents through communication and interplay. Cognition will provide robots the resources to gather information, perceive and predict behaviors, and respond accordingly. This will all be achieved through state-of-the-art machine learning, control and planning algorithms. Key characteristics of Tri-Co Robots are plastic and dexterity, multi-modal perception, and working autonomously and collaboratively. In particular, the development of rigid-flexible-soft robots and efficient solution methods are essential to achieve adaptation to environmental uncertainty and compliant interactions with humans and other robots. This talk will introduce the current research activities of robotics in China, especially the Tri-Robot Research Plan of NSFC (National Natural Science Foundation of China). It will discuss the primary scientific challenges and key scientific problems of the plan, mainly focusing on mechanism, perception and control. The talk will also forecast China’s expected breakthroughs and goals in Tri-Co robot research. Finally, the talk will present recent research results of our group and discuss current and future challenges.

Prof. Han Ding received his Ph.D. degree in received his Ph.D. degree in Mechatronics from Huazhong University of Science & Technology in 1989. Supported by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, he worked at University of Stuttgart, Germany in 1993. He obtained the National Distinguished Youth Scientific Fund in 1997 and was awarded the “Cheung Kong” Chair Professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2001. He was elected a member of Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2013.

Prof. Ding has long dedicated himself to research in the field of robotics and digital manufacturing, and has successfully combined both technologies. He published three academic books and more than 300 journal papers, and licensed more than 100 patents in China.

Prof. Ding is currently the chairman of Academic Committee of HUST and the director of the National Innovation Institute of Digital Design and Manufacturing. He is also a scientific committee member of the NSFC Tri-Co Robot major research program.