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About

Lifei Xu is a robotics engineer whose work sits at the intersection of computer vision, automation, and nuclear maintenance. His primary research focuses on developing intelligent visual inspection systems for extreme environments, particularly within tokamak fusion reactors. Xu’s major contribution is the design of illumination planning algorithms that allow inspection robots to autonomously adjust lighting conditions for optimal image capture—a critical capability in the dark, confined spaces of a fusion vessel. His most-cited paper, “Automatic illumination planning for robot vision inspection system” (2017, 28 citations), lays the groundwork for this adaptive vision approach. Xu also led the design and implementation of a visual inspection system for a tokamak flexible in-vessel robot (2016, 9 citations), demonstrating practical deployment in fusion research. His work on light intensity optimization in trajectory planning (2015, 6 citations) further refines how robots balance movement with image quality. Notably, Xu has explored vibration estimation using short-time Fourier transformation (2015, 2 citations), enabling online monitoring of robot stability during inspection. By solving real-world sensing challenges in hazardous environments, Xu’s research directly supports the safe, efficient maintenance of next-generation fusion energy systems.