Yangxin Chen

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Yangxin Chen is a pioneering roboticist whose work centers on tensegrity robotics for planetary exploration. As a key researcher at the Dynamic Tensegrity Robotics Lab (DTRL) at NASA Ames Research Center, Chen has fundamentally advanced the design and deployment of compliant, distributed robotic platforms capable of surviving extreme planetary environments. Their most influential contribution is the development of SUPERball, an untethered, modular tensegrity robot that reimagines planetary probes as resilient, rolling structures rather than traditional wheeled or legged vehicles. Chen’s foundational 2014 paper, “SUPERball: Exploring Tensegrities for Planetary Probes” (42 citations), introduced this paradigm-shifting concept, while their subsequent work, “Hardware Design and Testing of SUPERball, A Modular Tensegrity Robot” (14 citations), provided the critical engineering blueprint for modular, self-contained robotic modules with interchangeable end-caps. This modular approach allows for rapid reconfiguration of torque and speed capabilities, enabling versatile mission profiles. Chen’s research has been instrumental in demonstrating that tensegrity structures—which use tension and compression elements—can serve as robust, impact-tolerant platforms for future NASA missions to moons, Mars, and beyond, marking a significant leap toward more resilient and adaptive space robotics.