Prof. Dan Zhang
(Keynote Speaker)

Fellow of CAE, EIC, ASME, CSME

York University, Canada

Keynote Lecture: Structural Synthesis and Performance Study of Generalized Parallel Manipulators

Abstract: Although Conventional Parallel Manipulators (CPMs) have potential high rigidity, high accuracy, and high loading capacities, CPMs are not being widely adopted by industry due to limitations of their existing performance capabilities, including (1) the position and orientation workspaces of CPMs are relatively small due to the rigid end moving platform; (2) on account of the linear dependence of the axes of kinematic joints in the serial limbs,  the independent serial kinematic chains are hard to avoid singular configurations; (3) since the serial kinematic chains are independent, the overall stiffness of the manipulator is changed as the configuration of the CPM changes.

The overarching vision of this research is to overcome the limitations of CPMs – to develop new design methodologies and technologies for next-generation high performance Generalized Parallel Manipulators (GPMs) which include GPMs with configurable platforms for task adaptability, GPMs with coupling sub-chains to improve the global stiffness and GPMs with articulated moving platforms to enlarge the rotational angles. Thus, these new GPMs will effectively overcome the limitations of CPMs and be used for manufacturing applications including high precision assembly, fast product handling, milling and surface finishing as well as applications in other industries. Some research outcomes will be presented in this talk, and the design methodologies for structural synthesis of GPMs are developed, in addition, the theories for improving performance of GPMs are discussed. It will enable technology transfer of these techniques to industry applications by focusing on the critical technology gaps and rigorous experiments.

Biography: Dr. Dan Zhang is a Kaneff Professor and Tier 1 York Research Chair in Advanced Robotics and Mechatronics in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at York University. Dr. Zhang was a Canada Research Chair in Advanced Robotics and Automation, was a founding Chair of the Department of Automotive, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Engineering with the Faculty of Engineering & Applied Science at Ontario Tech University. He received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Laval University, Canada, in June 2000.

Dr. Zhang's research interests include synthesis and optimization of parallel and hybrid mechanisms; generalized parallel mechanisms research; reconfigurable robots; innovation design of parallel robots: parallelization of serial robots; micro/nano manipulation and mems devices (e.g., sensors); rescue robots; smart biomedical instruments (e.g., exoskeleton robots and rehabilitation robotics); AI/robotics/autonomous systems; Aerial and Underwater Robotics; Artificial Intelligence for Robotics; intelligent reconfigurable adaptive landing gear and manipulator (manipulander).

Dr. Zhang’s contributions to and leadership within the field of robotic and automation have been recognized with several prestigious awards, within his own university (Kaneff Professorship, Tier 1 York Research Chair in Advanced Robotics and Mechatronics, Research Excellence Award both from university level and faculty level), the Province of Ontario (Early Researcher Award), the professional societies (Fellow of CAE, Fellow of the ASME, Fellow of the EIC and Fellow of the CSME), and federal funding agencies (Canada Research Chair in January 2009 and renewed in January 2014). Besides, he was awarded the Inaugural Teaching Excellence by the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science of UOIT in 2006 and the Best Professor Award by UOIT Engineering Students' Society in 2012.

Dr. Zhang has published 217 journal papers and 182 conference papers, 12 books, 9 book chapters and numerous other technical publications. Dr. Zhang has served as a General Chair for 51 International Conferences and delivered 94 keynote speeches. Dr. Zhang is listed as the World’s Top Two Percent Researchers by Stanford’s Standardized Citation Indicators in 2020.

Prof. Xinjun Liu
(Keynote Speaker)

"Cheung Kong" Chair Professor, MO Chair of IFToMM China-Beijing

Tsinghua University, China

Keynote Lecture: New mode and robotic equipment innovation for large-scale structures in-situ machining

Abstract: The history of human civilization development is a history of cognitive development. Newton told us that there are laws in nature, and laws can be recognized. So, human beings’ curiosity and exploration of the natural world have made great creations and inventions. After investigating the constructing law and behavior rule of the natural life, a mobile machining robot is proposed for the in-situ machining of large-scale structures. Three key issues, i.e. type synthesis, performance evaluation and dimension optimization are introduced to design the robot. The cutting experiment on a large-scale space cabin structure with 3.5m in diameter shows that the machining precision can be 0.04mm, which is much higher than the manufacturing requirement. Based on this study, we confirm that roboticization, miniaturization and portability in the machining of large-scale structural parts are possible.

Biography: Xinjun Liu is a Full Professor with Tenure in Department of Mechanical Engineering at Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. He is the "Cheung Kong" Chair Professor, and the winner of National Outstanding Youth Fund of China. He is currently the MO Chair of International Federation for the Promotion of Mechanism and Machine Science (IFToMM) China-Beijing and the Director of the Beijing Key Laboratory of Precision and Ultra-precision Manufacturing Equipment and Control. From 2000 to 2001, he worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher at Tsinghua University. He was a Visiting Researcher at Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea in 2002-2003. He was the Alexander von Humboldt (AvH) Research Fellow at University of Stuttgart in Germany from 2004 to 2005. He was the Visiting Professor with Prof. Dr. Reimund Neugebauer at Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology, Germany, in August of 2007. He has published over 190 papers in refereed journals and refereed conference proceedings and has been selected as Elsevier's Most Cited Chinese Researchers for seven consecutive years from 2014 to 2020, 90 authorized patents, and three books (including one book in English). His research interests include smart robotics, parallel mechanisms and robots, machining robots, and advanced and smart manufacturing equipment.

Prof. Qiang Liu
(Keynote Speaker)

Dean of Jiangxi Research Institute of Beihang University

Beihang University, China

Biography: TBA