Sainan Zhang, Ph.D.North Carolina State University (NCSU)
Friday, March 28th, 2025, 2:00 - 3:00 PM
JH-109
Title: Assistive Robots for Human Augmentation and Rehabilitation: Design, Control and Learning
ABSTRACT: Assistive robots for the physical augmentation of humans are the new frontier of robotics, but they are typically heavy, bulky, and limited in lab settings for steady-state walking assistance. To overcome those challenges, the first part of the talk will present the design of lightweight and stable assistive robots that leverage high torque density motors and collocated control. Thus, our wearable robot is able to achieve unprecedented performances, including the most lightweight portable exoskeletons with high stability and high bandwidth human-robot interaction. The second part of the talk will present a new control paradigm that leverages a modelinformed & data-driven method to enable synchronized torque with humans during irregular movements. The third part of the talk will focus on AI-powered controllers that use computer simulations to train exoskeletons, enabling them to autonomously assist users and conserve energy during walking, running, and climbing stairs. We will use robots as a tool for scientific discovery to explore new research fields, including wearable robots for pediatric rehabilitation and pain relief of musculoskeletal disorders. We envision that our work will enable a paradigm shift of wearable robots from lab-bounded rehabilitation machines to ubiquitous personal robots for workplace injury prevention, pediatric and elderly rehabilitation and home care.
BIO: Dr. Sainan Zhang, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at NC State University and UNC-Chapel Hill. She specializes in wearable robotics, soft robotics, AI-based control, and human-robot interaction. Dr. Zhang earned her PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the City University of New York - City College. She has made significant contributions to the development of AI-powered exosuits and pediatric knee exoskeletons, particularly in their applications to community-based mobility assistance. She has published 12 peer-reviewed in top-tier journals and conferences, including Nature, IEEE Transactions on Robotics, IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, and Mechatronics. Dr. Zhang is actively involved in mentoring students and has served as a reviewer for several prominent journals including IEEE/ASME Transaction on Mechatronics, IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation, IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine, IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters.
