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About

Xinmeng Ma is an emerging robotics researcher whose work sits at the intersection of bioinspired design, amphibious locomotion, and field robotics. Best known for pioneering contributions to amphibious robot systems, Ma has led the development of several innovative platforms, most notably SHOALBOT — a multimode amphibious robot that navigates beaches, grasslands, and aquatic environments using a single propeller-leg propulsion device, earning 48 citations since its 2022 publication. Drawing inspiration from the remarkable agility of the Portunus crab, Ma has repeatedly demonstrated how biological locomotion strategies can be translated into capable robotic systems that traverse unstructured terrains with impressive adaptability. A particularly distinctive contribution is Ma's extension of Granular Resistive Force Theory to saturated wet sand, addressing the complex force dynamics that challenge robots operating in mixed sand-water environments — a problem critical to real-world amphibious deployment. Beyond aquatic contexts, Ma's research extends into exoskeleton systems for military applications and neural network-assisted joint optimization for nuclear facility inspection robots, reflecting a broad commitment to applied robotics in demanding environments. With over 110 cumulative citations, Ma's growing body of work signals a rising voice in multienvironment robot design.