Biography
Dr. Wei-Hsi Chen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at North Carolina State University, where he leads the FORGE (Function-Oriented Robotics Geometry and Engineering) Lab. His research lies at the intersection of robotics, computational design, and computational fabrication, with the long-term goal of enabling robots to be generated automatically from desired tasks. His work seeks to establish the fundamental principles that connect robot morphology, materials, and control, allowing robotic systems to be designed in a task-driven rather than intuition-driven manner.
Dr. Chen's research spans robot morphology, origami and kirigami-inspired robotics, tunable stiffness mechanisms, dynamic locomotion, computational fabrication, and robot co-design. His group develops new design methodologies, modeling frameworks, and robotic platforms to understand how physical embodiment influences robot capabilities. By combining mechanical design, control, and fabrication, his research aims to create adaptable robotic systems that can operate effectively in challenging environments.
Prior to joining NC State, Dr. Chen was a Postdoctoral Associate in the GRASP Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania, where he worked with Professors Daniel E. Koditschek and Cynthia R. Sung. He received his Ph.D. in Electrical and Systems Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. His research has been recognized through publications in leading robotics venues, including IEEE Transactions on Robotics, and focuses on advancing the foundations of embodied intelligence through principled robot design.
Education
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Ph.D.
2022
Electrical and Systems Engineering
University of Pennsylvania -
Master's
2022
Robotics
University of Pennsylvania -
Master's
2013
Mechanical Engineering
National Taiwan University -
Bachelor's
2011
Mechanical Engineering
National Taiwan University