On the morning of Friday, November 7, 2025, from 10:00 to 11:00, the 19th Automation Academic Forum was successfully held in Conference Room 601, Building 3. The forum featured Professor Shuai Li from the University of Oulu, Finland, as the keynote speaker, who delivered a high-quality presentation on deformable object manipulation. The session was chaired by Professor Zhang Zhijun.

In his academic report titled Deformable Object Manipulation: An AI Perspective, Professor Li provided an in-depth interpretation of key technologies and recent advancements in the field. He highlighted that manipulating deformable objects has become a prominent research focus in robotics, particularly for medical applications. However, the complex nonlinear behavior of these objects presents significant challenges for precise control. To address this, his team developed an online iterative perception strategy. This approach does not rely on large-scale data training but instead utilizes a Transformer framework to learn and train control actions, enabling precise and efficient manipulation. The team has validated this method in both simulation and real-world experiments,  comparing it against several advanced control methods. Results demonstrate that their strategy maintains superior stability, robustness, and flexibility across objects with different material properties and under complex initial conditions. Through clear logical exposition and specific case studies, Professor Li effectively translated complex academic concepts into accessible insights, showcasing his profound expertise and extensive research experience.

        Following the report, an interactive Q&A session saw active participation from faculty and students. They engaged in in-depth discussions with Professor Li on core topics such as technical bottlenecks in deformable object manipulation and potential expansions of the online iterative perception strategy into broader application scenarios. Professor Li addressed each question with detailed, professional answers, patiently clarifying doubts and fostering a lively and productive exchange that underscored the forum's significant academic value.

The 19th Automation Academic Forum not only provided a valuable platform for direct dialogue between the college's community and an international expert—keeping them abreast of cutting-edge developments at the intersection of deformable object manipulation and AI—but also solidified the foundation for enhancing international academic collaboration and elevating the profile of the automation discipline. Looking ahead, the college remains committed to focusing on frontier research areas in automation, regularly organizing high-level academic events, continuously improving its academic exchange platforms, and further fostering the development of innovative research talent to drive scientific and technological innovation within the discipline.