About

Ning Tan is a prolific robotics and computational intelligence researcher whose work spans soft robotics, reconfigurable systems, continuum robot control, and neural network-based computational methods. His early contributions to zeroing neural networks (ZNN), exemplified by his highly cited 2010 work on time-varying Moore–Penrose matrix inversion (142 citations), established a strong mathematical foundation that he has since extended into practical robotic control frameworks, including data-driven and model-free motion control of continuum robots. Tan has made significant strides in self-reconfigurable robotics, developing systematic taxonomies and evaluation frameworks (84 citations) that bring much-needed rigor to a historically fragmented field. His bio-inspired Scorpio robot, a rolling-crawling platform mimicking huntsman spider locomotion, showcases his creative approach to mechanical design. In soft robotics, he pioneered flexible shaft-driven actuators and grippers capable of simultaneous grasping and in-hand manipulation. More recently, his cerebellum-inspired visual servo control for dual robotic arms demonstrates his growing interest in biologically motivated learning systems. With multiple papers exceeding 50 citations and a research portfolio bridging theory and hardware, Tan represents a uniquely versatile voice in modern robotics research.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

23
H-Index
80
Papers
1,459
Total Citations
18
Avg Citations/Paper
🏆 Most Cited Paper
Zhang neural network solving for time-varying full-rank matrix Moore–Penrose inverse
142 citations · 2010
📈 Most Prolific Year: 2022 (13 Papers)
🤝 Key Collaborators: 112
🏛 Institutions: Sun Yat-sen University, National University of Singapore, Singapore University of Technology and Design, East China Normal University, South China University of Technology, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

Top Papers

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    Scorpio
    53 citations · 2016
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Key Collaborators

Contact & Links

Available for collaboration
Content generated · 42 days ago