Papers
11
Total Citations
217
H-Index
7
About
Yifan Hou is a roboticist whose research centers on dexterous manipulation, contact-rich planning, and the intersection of precision and generality in robotic systems. His most influential work, "Pushing revisited" (55 citations), established that quasi-static pushing with sticking contact is differential flat, elegantly reducing the pusher–slider system to the classic Dubins car problem—a result that has become foundational for trajectory planning in manipulation. Hou’s "Contact Mode Guided Manipulation Planning" (CMGMP) framework, published in 2022 (34 citations), provides a principled method for hybrid motion planning that seamlessly integrates continuous state transitions with discrete contact mode switches, enabling dexterous 3D manipulation. His 2024 paper on SimPLE (32 citations) introduces a visuotactile method learned entirely in simulation that achieves precise pick, localize, regrasp, and place operations, directly addressing the longstanding challenge of "precise generalization." Hou also pioneered the concept of "shared grasping" (29 citations), showing how environmental contacts can reduce the number of hand contacts needed for manipulation. With over 200 total citations across his portfolio, Hou’s work is notable for its theoretical depth—providing closed-form solutions and optimal control methods—while maintaining strong practical relevance to real-world robotic systems.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 4Manipulation with Shared Grasping29 citations · 2020
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- 6Robust Planar Dynamic Pivoting by Regulating Inertial and Grip Forces21 citations · 2020
- 7Criteria for Maintaining Desired Contacts for Quasi-Static Systems7 citations · 2019
- 8Reorienting Objects in 3D Space Using Pivoting6 citations · 2019
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- 10Contact Mode Guided Motion Planning for Dexterous Manipulation.3 citations · 2021