Heping Chen
Texas State University, ABB (Switzerland), Michigan State University, Shenzhen Academy of Robotics, Applied Research Corporation (United States), Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation, AbbVie (United States), Al Akhawayn University, Harbin Institute of Technology, Northeastern University, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Zhejiang University of Technology
Papers
100
Total Citations
1,765
H-Index
24
About
Heping Chen is a prominent robotics and manufacturing engineer whose research sits at the intersection of industrial automation, robot path planning, and advanced manufacturing processes. Best known for his pioneering contributions to automated spray painting path planning for industrial robots, Chen has fundamentally advanced how manufacturers approach trajectory generation for complex free-form surfaces — work that spans over two decades, from his foundational 2002 CAD-based trajectory planning paper to comprehensive reviews that have collectively accumulated over 160 citations. His research directly addresses real-world manufacturing bottlenecks, including reducing costly programming cycles for processes like deburring cast aluminum wheels, where manual path generation previously consumed up to ten weeks per wheel. Chen has also made significant contributions to robot calibration, autonomous mobile robot navigation, and assembly robotics for large-scale aerospace components. More recently, he expanded into emerging technologies, with his 2021 machine learning-based layer roughness modeling for robotic additive manufacturing earning 87 citations in just a few years. With a combined citation count exceeding 640 across his top works, Chen's research has demonstrably shaped modern industrial robotics, offering practical, implementable solutions that bridge theoretical innovation and factory-floor application.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
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- 3A review of CAD‐based robot path planning for spray painting66 citations · 2009
- 4Topological Indoor Localization and Navigation for Autonomous Mobile Robot63 citations · 2014
- 5On-Line Path Generation for Robotic Deburring of Cast Aluminum Wheels62 citations · 2006
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- 9Practical industrial robot zero offset calibration52 citations · 2008
- 10