From August 17 to 21, the 22nd IEEE International Conference on Automation Science and Engineering (IEEE CASE 2026) was held in Shenyang. Zhang Chuhan, a 2022 undergraduate from the Mechanical Engineering and Robotics program at Guangdong Technion – Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT), with his paper Propeller-Assisted Robust 3D Hopping Robot with Hierarchical Force Allocation won the Best Student Paper Finalist – one of only four selected from the conference.

IEEE CASE is the flagship conference of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (RAS) and holds significant authority in intelligent industry, automation and robotics. This year's event drew experts and scholars from over 20 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Canada and New Zealand, to share cutting-edge research and explore future directions.

Out of more than 700 papers accepted this year, only four received this nomination. The selection process is rigorous: the paper must first pass peer review, and then the supervisor must send a recommendation email to verify that the student is the first author and that the core work and experiments were completed by the student. The committee then evaluates the work based on innovation, research quality, practical potential, and contribution to the related field.

The research focuses on a monopedal hopping robot. The team developed Pro-OMEGA2, a propeller-assisted robot featuring an active 3-RSR parallel leg and a trunk-mounted tri-rotor. To address the under actuation and attitude control challenges during flight, the team proposed a Hierarchical Force Allocation (HFA) framework based on a Single Rigid Body (SRB) model, enabling coordinated force generation between the leg and propellers across stance and flight phases. Experiments demonstrated sustained 3D hopping, terrain transition capability, and recovery from impulsive disturbances.

Talking about the paperwork, Chuhan noted it was his first time bringing research from conception to paper. "My early drafts were full of holes and poorly readable," he admitted. He expressed deep gratitude to his GTIIT advisor Prof. Liu Mingyi and Prof. Chu Xiangyu from the Chinese University of Hong Kong for their guidance on structure and content, which helped him logically develop the paper. He also thanked senior lab members for their advice on hardware and algorithms, which saved him considerable time and allowed him to focus on engineering practice and experiments.

Zhang Chuhan (left1) with Prof. Liu Mingyi

Zhang Chuhan (Middle) with Prof. Chu Xiangyu (Rignt1)

Despite initial nervousness about presenting on such a prestigious international stage, Chuhan quickly found his footing thanks to GTIIT's regular research training. "GTIIT organized research poster competitions and offered systematic courses in English academic presentation. These normalized professional trainings helped me calm down quickly, complete the presentation smoothly, and gain recognition from attending scholars."

As a recent GTIIT graduate, Chuhan has received offers from many top universities including Yale University, the University of Hong Kong, and Johns Hopkins University. He will pursue a master's degree at Johns Hopkins, focusing on medical robotics, to contribute to the industry's innovation development.

Text/Photos: GTIIT News & Public Affairs, Zhang Chuhan