Zaiquan Sheng
Papers
8
Total Citations
142
H-Index
4
About
Zaiquan Sheng is a robotics and control systems researcher whose career has been defined by a singular, fascinating focus: understanding and replicating the complex dynamics of unicycle riding through robotic emulation. Working primarily throughout the 1990s and into the early 2000s, Sheng pioneered the systematic study of human postural stability on a unicycle — an inherently unstable three-dimensional system — and translated those insights into functional robotic platforms. His most influential contribution, "Postural Stability of a Human Riding a Unicycle and its Emulation by a Robot" (1997, 93 citations), established foundational principles for modeling the nonlinear, dynamic control actions a human rider employs to maintain balance. Through careful biomechanical observation, Sheng identified that the human body forms two critical closed-link loops during unicycle riding, a discovery that directly informed his robot design incorporating asymmetric rotors and closed-link mechanisms. His innovative application of fuzzy gain schedule PD controllers addressed the significant nonlinearities inherent in unicycle systems, achieving successful three-dimensional postural stabilization experimentally. Sheng's work sits at the compelling intersection of biomechanics, nonlinear control theory, and humanoid robotics, and remains a meaningful reference point for researchers tackling underactuated and inherently unstable robotic locomotion challenges.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Postural stability of a human riding a unicycle and its emulation by a robot93 citations · 1997
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- 4Realization of a human riding a unicycle by a robot7 citations · 2002
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