Mechanical Intelligence Robotics Lab (MIRL)


Education

  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University, 2024
  • Ph.D. Stanford University, 2023
  • M.S. Stanford University, 2020
  • B.S. Georgia Tech, 2017

Teaching Interests

Professor Chen’s teaching interests encompass fundamental and advanced topics in mechanical engineering, with emphasis on mechanical design, mechatronics and robotics. His instruction targets both undergraduate and graduate students, aiming to integrate theoretical foundations with practical applications. The courses foster analytical skills and problem-solving abilities essential for understanding complex mechanical systems and their behaviors under various dynamic conditions.

Research Interests

Professor Chen’s research focuses on mechanical intelligence in robotics, where mechanical intelligence is the concept of developing new robotic platforms and mechanisms that make challenges for perception, control and autonomy easier or more robust for natural, unstructured, and often unpredictable environments by the virtue of their physical designs.

Recent Publications

  • J Di, KAW Hoffmann, TG Chen, TA Ren, MR Cutkosky, SLAP: Slapband-based Autonomous Perching Drone with Failure Recovery for Vertical Tree Trunks, arXiv preprint arXiv:2601.00238, 2026.
  • MC Yuen, CJ Decker, TG Chen, RJ Wood, Magnetic Sensing for Proprioception of Rolling Contact Joints, 2025 IEEE 8th International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft), 1-6, 2025.
  • M Al-Husseini, J Barnett, JD Thomas, TG Chen, Aura: An Automated System for the Real-Time Evaluation of Flight Maneuver Performance, IEEE Intelligent Systems, 2025.
  • EJ Rennich, TA Ren, J Kim, J Di, TG Chen, MR Cutkosky, Gentle Grasping with Gecko-Inspired Adhesives in Extreme Environments, IEEE Transactions on Field Robotics, 2025.
  • EJ Challita, TG Chen, RS Zoll, MC Yuen, RJ Wood, Osmosis-Driven Large-Scale Actuation for Shape-Shifting Mechanisms, 2025 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), 2025.