Yangming Xu

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Yangming Xu is a pioneering researcher in robotic manipulation and sensor calibration, with a career spanning foundational work in dexterous hand control and autonomous robot calibration. His key research areas include tendon-driven robotic hands, joint torque sensing, and human-robot mechanical interaction. Xu’s most notable contribution is his in-depth investigation of the Utah/MIT Dextrous Hand (UMDH) transmission system, where he demonstrated that pulley friction is non-negligible and must be accounted for in force control—a critical insight for high-fidelity robotic grasping. This work, published in 2002, has garnered 34 citations and remains a reference for tendon-driven hand design. He also developed a gravity-based autonomous calibration method for robot manipulators, enabling simultaneous calibration of joint torque and position sensors without external equipment, a practical innovation cited 13 times. Earlier, his Ph.D. thesis at MIT introduced an airjet system to study mechanical properties of human and robot arms, reflecting his interdisciplinary approach. Xu’s research has advanced the precision and autonomy of robotic systems, influencing both academic studies and industrial applications in dexterous manipulation and sensor self-calibration.