Ta-Lun Chen

About

Ta-Lun Chen is a leading researcher in soft robotics and compliant mechanism design, with a focus on creating intelligent, adaptive grippers for handling delicate and fragile objects. His work centers on the topology optimization and 3D printing of compliant fingers, enabling sensor-less, underactuated grasping systems that can safely manipulate items like fruits without damage. Chen’s most influential paper, "Optimal Design of a Motor-Driven Three-Finger Soft Robotic Gripper" (2020), has garnered 103 citations, showcasing his impact in advancing adaptive grasping technology. He further contributed to the field with studies on fruit-handling robotic modules (40 citations) and intelligent systems for laser marking (10 citations). Chen has pioneered the integration of flex sensors into topology-optimized compliant fingers for autonomous grasping of unknown objects, and has extended his optimization techniques to design compliant constant-force mechanisms. His work, consistently published in high-impact venues, bridges computational design and practical robotics, offering scalable solutions for industrial automation and agricultural robotics.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Optimal Design of a Motor-Driven Three-Finger Soft Robotic Gripper

   103 citations · 2020
2. 2
   A Soft Robotic Gripper Module with 3D Printed Compliant Fingers for Grasping Fruits

   40 citations · 2018
3. 3
   An Intelligent Robotic System for Handling and Laser Marking Fruits

   10 citations · 2019
4. 4
   A Topology-Optimized 3D Printed Compliant Finger with Flex Sensor for Adaptive Grasping of Unknown Objects

   9 citations · 2019
5. 5
   Topology Synthesis, Prototype, and Test of an Industrial Robot Gripper with 3D Printed Compliant Fingers for Handling of Fragile Objects

   7 citations · 2018
6. 6
   Topology and Geometry optimization for Design of a 3D Printed Compliant Constant-Force Mechanism

   5 citations · 2020

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links