Chee–Meng Chew

About

Chee-Meng Chew is a robotics researcher whose work spans bipedal locomotion, bio-inspired robotics, and motion control — fields in which he has made lasting contributions over more than two decades. He is perhaps best known for his foundational work on Virtual Model Control, a motion control framework that employs virtual components to intuitively generate desired forces in robotic systems. His 2001 paper applying this framework to planar bipedal robots has accumulated over 550 citations, establishing it as a landmark reference in legged robotics. Building on this foundation, Chew extended his bipedal research to incorporate reinforcement learning, slope traversal, and 3D pattern generation for stairs and uneven terrain, collectively demonstrating a comprehensive vision for robust, adaptable walking machines. His research interests also reach into biomechanics, including modeling force and impedance in human arm movements, and computational geometry, with a notable algorithm for computing point-to-convex-cone distances in n-dimensional space. In recent years, Chew has turned toward aquatic bio-inspired robotics, leading development of a frog-inspired swimming robot using dielectric elastomer actuators and investigating manta ray-inspired propulsion mechanisms for underwater vehicles. His diverse yet coherent body of work reflects a deep commitment to bridging biological inspiration with practical robotic implementation.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Virtual Model Control: An Intuitive Approach for Bipedal Locomotion

   550 citations · 2001
2. 2
   A model of force and impedance in human arm movements

   163 citations · 2004
3. 3
   Dynamic bipedal walking assisted by learning

   63 citations · 2002
4. 4
   A frog-inspired swimming robot based on dielectric elastomer actuators

   59 citations · 2017
5. 5
   Blind walking of a planar bipedal robot on sloped terrain

   57 citations · 2003
6. 6
   Development of propulsion mechanism for Robot Manta Ray

   54 citations · 2015
7. 7
   Pattern generation for bipedal walking on slopes and stairs

   50 citations · 2008
8. 8
   Robot gait synthesis using the scheme of human motions skills development

   41 citations · 2008
9. 9
   Distance Between a Point and a Convex Cone in $n$ -Dimensional Space: Computation and Applications

   39 citations · 2009
10. 10
    A Relationship Between Sweep Angle of Flapping Pectoral Fins and Thrust Generation

    38 citations · 2018

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links