Hepeng Zhang

Shanghai Jiao Tong University, University of Science and Technology of China

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About

Hepeng Zhang is a leading researcher at the intersection of active matter physics and robotics, exploring how microscopic rules govern emergent, macroscopic behaviors. His work fundamentally advances our understanding of non-equilibrium systems, particularly through the lens of programmable robot collectives. Zhang’s major contributions include demonstrating how geometric asymmetry can rectify random motion—a principle with profound implications for energy harvesting and micro-robotics. His seminal 2013 study on asymmetric gears, cited 38 times, showed that a gear with symmetric teeth diffuses randomly under robot impacts, while an asymmetric gear rectifies this motion, producing directed rotation. More recently, his 2024 work on emergent chirality and hyperuniformity in active mixtures, already garnering 37 citations, reveals how nonreciprocal interactions between robot species can spontaneously break symmetry and create ordered, exotic states. This research, blending experiments with simulations, offers a powerful platform for designing novel materials and robotic swarms. Zhang’s work is notable for its elegant experimental validation of theoretical predictions, making complex active matter principles tangible and directly applicable to robotics and materials science.