Zhijun Chen

Harbin Institute of Technology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Papers

Total Citations

381

H-Index

About

Zhijun Chen is a robotics researcher whose work sits at the intersection of dexterous manipulation, robotic hand design, and multi-legged locomotion systems. He is perhaps best known for his pivotal contributions to the development of the DLR/HIT Hand II, a groundbreaking multisensory five-fingered dexterous robotic hand created in collaboration between the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT). This sophisticated system features an independent palm and five identical modular fingers, each with three degrees of freedom and four joints, with all actuators and electronics elegantly integrated within the finger body and palm itself — a significant engineering achievement that brought humanoid manipulation closer to reality. His 2008 paper on this system has accumulated over 350 citations, reflecting its lasting influence on the field of robotic hand design. More recently, Chen has extended his expertise into legged robotics, with research on multi-objective optimization for hexapod robot systems published in 2024, demonstrating a continued commitment to advancing practical, application-driven robotic platforms. His career reflects a consistent dedication to building robots that move and interact with the world in increasingly human-like and capable ways.