I design robotic structures, from simulation to working hardware.

Muscle coactivation-inspired stiffness-driven control

A data-driven controller, inspired by how opposing muscles tense together, learns in minutes to control the motion and stiffness of robots driven by opposing actuators.

Jie Pan†, Tianyu Chen†, Junwei Li, Yifan Wang († equal contribution)

Science Advances 12, eaeg3346 (2026)

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Programmable morphing structure with variable stiffness

Geometric analysis and simulations give design rules for a scale structure: friction above a threshold hinders morphing, and reshaping the scales’ surface eases the trade-off between morphing and stiffening.

Tianyu Chen, Xudong Yang, Yifan Wang

International Journal of Mechanical Sciences 284, 109699 (2024)

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Shear banding in gradient nanograined metals

A computational model of gradient nanograined copper shows that its coarse-grained core makes shear bands form early and multiply at the surface, explaining its ductility.

Tianyu Chen, Jianjun Li

Nanomaterials 11, 2468 (2021)

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Shear band multiplication in amorphous thin films

Simulations show that a metal substrate makes a thin metallic glass film form many shear bands instead of one, which raises its tensile ductility.

Tianyu Chen, Jianjun Li, Shaohua Chen, Chun Li

International Journal of Solids and Structures 195, 1–12 (2020)

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Tensile ductility of thin films on grain size graded substrates

Simulations show that a substrate whose grains coarsen with depth can let a thin film stretch further before necking than a uniform coarse-grained substrate does.

Tianyu Chen, Wenjun Lu, Jianjun Li, Shaohua Chen, Chun Li, George J. Weng

International Journal of Solids and Structures 166, 124–134 (2019)

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Co-authored

Suture-inspired interlocking metamaterials

Bistable joints modeled on natural sutures let metamaterials built from particles morph and then hold their shape under load without continuous actuation.

Yu Chen†, Xudong Yang†, Junwei Li, Tianyu Chen, Yuzhe Wang, Yifan Wang († equal contribution)

Advanced Functional Materials 36, e78343 (2026)

Paper

Co-authored

Muscle impedance sensors for human-machine interfaces

A thin, soft impedance sensor that conforms to skin reads the contractions of several deep muscles, for gesture recognition, force prediction, human-robot collaboration and exoskeleton control.

Junwei Li, Kunlin Wu, Jingcheng Xiao, Tianyu Chen, Xudong Yang, Jie Pan, Yu Chen, Yifan Wang

Science Advances 11, eadv3359 (2025)

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Co-authored

Active fabrics with controllable stiffness

Rigid tiles linked by actuated fibers form fabrics that switch from soft to stiff around the body, for exosuits and body armor.

Xudong Yang†, Yu Chen†, Tianyu Chen, Junwei Li, Yifan Wang († equal contribution)

Advanced Materials 36, 2404502 (2024)

Paper

Co-authored

Hierarchical tessellation for morphing matter

A design method divides a curved 3D surface into rigid particles laid out flat, which tendons pull into that shape with tunable stiffness.

Xudong Yang, Mingchao Liu, Bojian Zhang, Ziqi Wang, Tianyu Chen, Yuan Zhou, Yu Chen, K. Jimmy Hsia, Yifan Wang

Matter 7, 603–619 (2024)

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