Ken Chen
Papers
20
Total Citations
197
H-Index
7
About
Ken Chen is a robotics researcher whose career spans over two decades of pioneering work in humanoid robots, robotic manipulation, and industrial automation. He is perhaps best known for his foundational contributions to humanoid robot development at Tsinghua University, where he played a central role in designing and building the THBIP series — from the 32-degree-of-freedom THBIP-I (2003) to the compact, 70 cm minihumanoid THBIP-2, representing landmark achievements in Chinese bipedal robotics. His most-cited work (73 citations) addresses learning-based variable compliance control for robotic assembly, tackling the notoriously difficult peg-in-hole problem central to manufacturing automation. Chen has made significant contributions to force and impedance control, developing active disturbance rejection strategies for collaborative robots and viscoelastic compliance models for position-controlled humanoids. His research extends into practical industrial applications, including high-precision vision localization for autonomous guided vehicles and multi-robot platform calibration using laser tracking. More recently, he has explored wearable robotic assistance through his Extra Robotic Legs system. With a body of work bridging fundamental humanoid locomotion research and real-world manufacturing challenges, Chen represents a versatile and enduring voice in applied robotics engineering.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Learning-Based Variable Compliance Control for Robotic Assembly73 citations · 2018
- 2A method for mapping the boundaries of collision-free reachable workspaces17 citations · 2010
- 3Design aspects and development of humanoid robot THBIP-216 citations · 2007
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- 5Control system design of THBIP-I humanoid robot10 citations · 2003
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