Xinjian Fan

About

Xinjian Fan is a pioneering researcher in miniature robotics and magnetic actuation systems, whose work has fundamentally advanced the field of untethered microrobots for biomedical applications. Fan's most transformative contributions center on ferrofluid-based miniature robots — liquid-state systems capable of remarkable shape reconfigurability, multimodal locomotion, and targeted therapeutic delivery within the human body. His landmark 2020 paper on reconfigurable ferrofluid droplet robots (245 citations) demonstrated that magnetically actuated soft robots could achieve programmable deformations suited for minimally invasive medical operations, while a companion study (122 citations) established ferrofluid droplets as viable liquid microrobots with unprecedented deformability at the microscale. His 2022 work on scale-reconfigurable ferrofluidic robots (106 citations) further addressed the critical challenge of navigating sharply variable anatomical spaces. Fan has also made significant contributions to targeted drug delivery, proposing triple-configurational magnetic robots for bowel cancer treatment, and to cost-effective fabrication of helical miniature robots. Earlier in his career, Fan developed industrial robot vision systems and gripper control technologies. Collectively, his portfolio — spanning over 580 citations — reflects a compelling research trajectory from precision industrial automation toward life-saving microscale medical robotics.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Reconfigurable multifunctional ferrofluid droplet robots

   245 citations · 2020
2. 2
   Ferrofluid Droplets as Liquid Microrobots with Multiple Deformabilities

   122 citations · 2020
3. 3
   Scale-reconfigurable miniature ferrofluidic robots for negotiating sharply variable spaces

   106 citations · 2022
4. 4
   Triple-Configurational Magnetic Robot for Targeted Drug Delivery and Sustained Release

   46 citations · 2021
5. 5
   A combined 2D-3D vision system for automatic robot picking

   18 citations · 2014
6. 6
   Machining swarf formation–inspired fabrication of ferrofluidic helical miniature robots with multimodal locomotion capability

   13 citations · 2025
7. 7
   Microgripper Robot with End Electropermanent Magnet Collaborative Actuation

   10 citations · 2024
8. 8
   Design and grip force control of dual-motor drive electric gripper with parallel fingers

   9 citations · 2016
9. 9
   An automatic robot unstacking system based on binocular stereo vision

   9 citations · 2014
10. 10
    Active gripping impedance force control with dual fingers hand

    8 citations · 2011

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links