Zihan Zeng

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Zihan Zeng is a rising innovator in the field of soft robotics and wearable assistive technologies. Their research focuses on developing bio-inspired, flexible actuators and variable-stiffness structures to enhance the capabilities of wearable robots for human movement assistance. Zeng’s major contributions include the creation of an all-fabric bi-directional actuator designed for multi-joint upper limb support, a breakthrough that marries comfort with mechanical function. They also pioneered a muscle-inspired, stiffness-tunable fiber jamming structure, addressing the critical challenge of limited load-bearing capacity in soft robotics. Most notably, Zeng introduced a somatosensitive inverse artificial muscle, integrating sensory feedback directly into the actuator for more intuitive and responsive human-robot interaction. With over 17 citations across their most-cited works, Zeng’s research is gaining traction for its practical approach to overcoming the compliance-versus-strength trade-off. Their work stands out for its emphasis on textile-based, lightweight designs—paving the way for next-generation wearable robots that are both powerful and unobtrusive.