We are pleased to announce that Professor Xingjian Jing, from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at City University of Hong Kong, has successfully secured the prestigious Collaborative Research Fund (CRF) of HK$7.25M from the Research Grants Council (RGC) for his pioneering project titled Versatile Omnidirectional Mobile Robots with Diverse Bioinspired Motion Modes.

This innovative project, a collaboration between Professor Jing and several esteemed scholars, aims to revolutionize the field of underwater robotics. The research team includes Co-Principal Investigators Professor Jun Wang (City University of Hong Kong), Professor Yunhui Liu (Chinese University of Hong Kong), and Professor Yangmin Li (Hong Kong Polytechnic University).

 

Project Background

Underwater infrastructures are pivotal across various business sectors, including offshore, onshore, and waterfront structures like piers, cross-harbor bridges, dams, underwater piping systems, and cables. Regular inspections for structural health and damage mechanisms, such as erosion, deformation, and cracks, are essential to ensure public safety and the structural integrity of these assets. However, the underwater environment often presents harsh and dangerous conditions for professionals. Advanced and deployable robotic systems offer thrilling solutions. 

 Bio-inspired marine robots are potential solutions

Yet, most existing underwater robots, typically designed for deep-sea exploration, are not adequately equipped to handle tasks in such challenging environments. They struggle with dynamic water flows, organic or plastic debris, sand, seaweed, confined spaces, and unpredictable obstacles. Consequently, several challenges remain in developing effective, efficient, and reliable solutions due to technical limitations such as insufficient mobility, agility, and adaptability; limited localization and navigation capabilities; and practical massive manufacturing and deployment issues. Bio-inspired marine robots are potential solutions. However, existing bio-inspired marine robots still struggle with limited motion capability or loading capacity etc., and are thus not powerful enough for the implementation of the mentioned tasks. 

 

Innovative solution from Professor Jing's team

This groundbreaking project, driven by a dynamic team of scholars from multidisciplinary backgrounds in mechanical engineering, control, computer science, sensors, and signals, aims to develop next-generation bio-inspired underwater robotic systems. These cutting-edge robots will feature innovative propulsion mechanisms and advanced modeling/control methods, ultimately delivering effective solutions for operations in harsh water environments.

Innovative propulsion systems by leveraging special nonlinear actuation and multi-agent mechanisms for higher thrust and speed with low-power motors

 

The project's outcomes will establish the foundational principles for modeling, analysis, design, control, realization, and implementation of individual robots and robot groups for underwater exploration and manipulation, which are highly demanded by the industry. 

We congratulate Professor Jing and his team on this significant achievement and look forward to seeing the impact of this exciting project on the future of robotics and underwater exploration!

The Collaborative Research Fund (CRF) supports multi-investigator, multi-disciplinary projects in order to encourage more research groups to engage in creative and high-quality cross-disciplinary / cross-institutional projects.

Want to know more about Professor Jing and to explore possible collaboration? Click the below links:
Professor Jing's home page: https://www.cityu.edu.hk/mne/people/academic-staff/prof-jing-xingjian 
Professor Jing's research website: https://sites.google.com/site/drjingxj/home