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About

Fan‐Ren Chang is a robotics researcher whose work focuses on the design and control of nonholonomic mobile robots—systems whose motion is constrained by non-integrable dynamics, such as wheeled vehicles that cannot slide sideways. His major contributions lie in developing advanced control strategies for these challenging systems. In his most-cited work (19 citations each), Chang introduced an anthropomorphic design for human-like walking robots and proposed a hierarchical tracking controller for tri-wheeled mobile robots, using the Appell equation to decouple complex dynamics. He further advanced the field with a point stabilization control method for car-like robots, transforming their dynamics into a hierarchical skew-symmetry chained form. Chang also developed a continuation method for backstepping tracking control, enabling smooth trajectory following for car-like mobile robots. With a total of over 50 citations across his key papers, his research has provided foundational techniques for controlling wheeled and legged robots, bridging theoretical nonholonomic mechanics with practical robotic applications. His work continues to influence students and researchers working on autonomous vehicle navigation and legged locomotion.