Papers
8
Total Citations
147
H-Index
6
About
Ziang Zhang is a robotics researcher specializing in the design, control, and navigation of spherical mobile robots, with additional expertise in motion planning and autonomous systems. His work addresses some of the most challenging problems in mobile robotics, particularly the inherently nonlinear, nonholonomic, and dynamically unstable nature of pendulum-driven spherical platforms. Zhang's most influential contributions include a modified Hybrid A* path planning method tailored for spherical robots with limited lateral movement (39 citations), and a novel direction and trajectory tracking framework combining Hierarchical Terminal Sliding Mode Control with Model Predictive Control (37 citations). His fuzzy PID controller incorporating yaw angle prediction (24 citations) further demonstrates his range across both classical and intelligent control paradigms. Beyond control theory, Zhang has contributed a complete hardware-software framework enabling spherical robots to operate in harsh, unstructured environments, including amphibious conditions. His more recent work addresses practical deployment challenges, from terrain-adaptive control algorithms to a lightweight MLP-PSO optimizer for embedded motion planners. With over 145 cumulative citations across eight publications, Zhang has established himself as a productive voice in spherical robotics research, bridging theoretical rigor with real-world applicability — making his work particularly valuable for engineers and students working in field robotics and autonomous navigation.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 3Fuzzy PID Controller Based on Yaw Angle Prediction of a Spherical Robot24 citations · 2021
- 4A Robust Reference Path Selection Method for Path Planning Algorithm18 citations · 2022
- 5Spherical robot: A novel robot for exploration in harsh unknown environments14 citations · 2023
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