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FACULTY

FACULTY

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Zhou, Yitong 

  • Positional Title: Associated Professor

  • Email: zhouyitong@scut.edu.cn

  • Working For: Shien-Ming Wu School of Intelligent Engineering

  • Graduated School: The Ohio State University--Columbus

  • Final Degree: Ph.D.

  • Office: D1-a503

  • Zip Code: 510640

  • Telephone: 020-81182129

  • Mentor Type: Ph.D. advisor

Personal profile  

Yitong Zhou, Ph.D., is an associate professor and doctoral supervisor of Wu Xianming School of Intelligent Engineering, South China University of Technology. She received her B.S. degree in Vehicle Engineering from Tsinghua University in 2011 and her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and M.S. in Applied Statistics from The Ohio State University in 2020. She is currently presiding over a number of scientific research projects such as the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Youth Science Foundation), the Guangzhou Basic and Applied Basic Research Project, and the School-Enterprise Cooperation Project. She has completed a number of scientific research projects funded by the National Science Foundation of China and Honda North American R&D Center as a backbone. Shortlisted for the 2022 International Conference on Robotics and Bionics (IEEE ROBIO) Best Paper Award (Supervisor), and the 2022 Journal of Institutions and Robotics (ASME JMR) Best Paper Award. She has published more than 30 research papers in flagship robotics journals and conferences such as IEEE TRO/IEEE TIM/IEEE Sensors/ASME JMR/RAL/ICRA/IROS.

Work Experience  

  • 2021.3 - present, Associate Professor, Shien-Ming Wu School of Intelligent Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China.

  • 2011.7- 2014.4, Mechanical Engineer, GAC R&D Center, Guangzhou, China.

Education  

  • BE, Tsinghua University, Vehicle Engineering

  • MS, The Ohio State University, Mechanical Engineering

  • MAS, The Ohio State University, Applied Statistics

  • Ph.D., The Ohio State University, Mechanical Engineering

Research Interest  

  • We are committed to the design, theoretical studies, and experimental research of soft robotics, service robotics for electric power operation and agriculture, soft exoskeletons, and soft sensors.

Research projects  

Courses

  • Design and manufacturing II; Data analysis and modeling

Selected Publications  

  • 1.Taghipour, Ehsan, Sai Siddhartha Vemula, Zhengdi Wang, Yitong Zhou, Hossein Qarib, Kushal Gargesh, Leon M. Headings, Marcelo J. Dapino, and Soheil Soghrati. 'Characterization and computational modeling of electrical wires and wire bundles subject to bending loads.' International Journal of Mechanical Sciences 140 (2018): 211-227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmecsci.2018.03.009

  • 2.Zhou,Yitong, Leon M. Headings, and Marcelo J. Dapino. 'Discrete layer jamming for variable stiffness co-robot arms.' Journal of Mechanisms and Robotics 12, no. 1 (2020): 015001. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4044537

  • 3.Zhou, Yitong*, and Haonan Li. 'A scientometric review of soft robotics: Intellectual structures and emerging trends analysis (2010–2021).' Frontiers in Robotics and AI 9 (2022): 868682. https://doi.org/10.3389/frobt.2022.868682

  • 4.Zhou, Yitong, Leon M. Headings, and Marcelo J. Dapino. 'Modeling of fluidic prestressed composite actuators with application to soft robotic grippers.' IEEE Transactions on Robotics 38, no. 4 (2022): 2166-2178. https://doi.org/10.1109/TRO.2021.3139770

  • 5.Xiao, Longya, Chengjian Ou, Ding Zhang, Yi Ma, Zefeng Xu, Yitong Zhou*, and Hongjie Jiang. 'Strong Tough Poly Acrylic‐co‐acrylamide Hydrogels via a Synergistic Effect of Fiber and Metal‐Ligand Bonds as Flexible Strain Sensors.' Macromolecular Materials and Engineering 307, no. 11 (2022): 2200389. https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.202200389

  • 6.Zhou, Yitong, Leon M. Headings, and Marcelo J. Dapino. 'Modeling of soft robotic grippers integrated with fluidic prestressed composite actuators.' Journal of Mechanisms and Robotics 14, no. 3 (2022): 031001. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4052699

  • 7.Li, Fengguan, Jiahong Chen, Zhitao Zhou, Jiefeng Xie, Zishu Gao, Yuxiang Xiao, Pei Dai, Chanchan Xu, Xiaojie Wang, and Yitong Zhou*. 'Lightweight soft robotic glove with whole-hand finger motion tracking for hand rehabilitation in virtual reality.' Biomimetics 8, no. 5 (2023): 425. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics8050425

  • 8.Gan, Lu, Jiabao Wang, and Yitong Zhou*. 'A sub-millinewton resolution biaxial force sensor with temperature self-compensation for vascular intervention.' Sensors and Actuators A: Physical 364 (2023): 114833. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sna.2023.114833

  • 9.Li, Fengguan, Jiahong Chen, Guanpeng Ye, Siwei Dong, Zishu Gao, and Yitong Zhou*. 'Soft robotic glove with sensing and force feedback for rehabilitation in virtual reality.' Biomimetics 8, no. 1 (2023): 83. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics8010083

  • 10.Gan, Lu, Jiabao Wang, and Yitong Zhou*. 'A sub-millinewton resolution biaxial force sensor with temperature self-compensation for vascular intervention.' Sensors and Actuators A: Physical 364 (2023): 114833. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sna.2023.114833

  • 11.Li, Fengguan, Jiahong Chen, Zhitao Zhou, Jiefeng Xie, Zishu Gao, Yuxiang Xiao, Pei Dai, Chanchan Xu, Xiaojie Wang, and Yitong Zhou*. 'Lightweight soft robotic glove with whole-hand finger motion tracking for hand rehabilitation in virtual reality.' Biomimetics 8, no. 5 (2023): 425. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics8050425

  • 12.Li, Haonan, and Yitong Zhou*. 'An Intelligent Hand-Assisted Diagnosis System Based on Information Fusion.' Sensors 24, no. 14 (2024): 4745. https://doi.org/10.3390/s24144745

  • 13.Fang, Shengchang, Guisong Chen, Yitong Zhou*. and Xiaojie Wang. 'Advancing Legged Wall Climbing Robot Performance Through Dynamic Contact-Integrated Climbing Model.' Journal of Mechanisms and Robotics 16, no. 6 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4064742

  • 14.Xu, Zefeng, Jiaqiao Liang, and Yitong Zhou*. 'Soft Pneumatic Helical Actuators With Programmable Variable Curvatures.' IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters , vol. 9, no. 7, pp. 6632-6639, July 2024, https://doi.org/10.1109/LRA.2024.3410165

  • 15.Xu, Zefeng, Linkai Hu, Longya Xiao, Hongjie Jiang, and Yitong Zhou*. 'Modular soft robotic crawlers based on fluidic prestressed composite actuators.' Journal of Bionic Engineering 21, no. 2 (2024): 694-706. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42235-024-00487-6

  • 16.Gan,Lu, Yuqing Xu, Yumeng Cai, and Yitong Zhou*. 'A high sensitivity flexible stretchable fiber optic sensor based on the waveguide loss principle,' IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement,vol. 74, pp. 1-7, 2025 https://doi.org/10.1109/TIM.2024.3522407

  • 17.Dai, Pei, Pengyu Wang, Lu Gan, Yitong Zhou*. 'Supercoiled Polymer Sensors from Twisting and Coiling Silver-Plated Nylon tdreads'. IEEE Sensors Journal ,vol. 24, no. 19, pp. 29745-29753, 1 Oct.1, 2024 https://doi.org/10.1109/JSEN.2024.3441630

  • 18.Lou, Gaoming, Chuang Wang, Zefeng Xu, Jiaqiao Liang, and Yitong Zhou*. 'Controlling Soft Robotic Arms Using Hybrid Modelling and Reinforcement Learning.' IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters,vol. 9, no. 8, pp. 7070-7077, Aug. 2024 https://doi.org/10.1109/LRA.2024.3418312

  • 19.Xu, Zefeng, and Yitong Zhou*. 'Bistable composites with intrinsic pneumatic actuation and non-cylindrical curved shapes.' Materials Letters 354 (2024): 135381. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matlet.2023.135381

  • 20.Xu, Boyi, Jinsui Xu, et al., FeiYang*, Yitong Zhou*. “Bionic Muscle with Dual-Mode Sensing Function Inspired byPlant Tendrils,” ACS Applied Electronic Materials 2025 7 (5), 2137-2145 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaelm.5c00105 

  • 21.Xu, Boyi, Jinsui Xu, et al., FeiYang*, Yitong Zhou*. “Spider inspired ion gel sensor for dual-mode detection of force and speed via magnetic induction,” ACS sensors 2025 10 (4), 3134-3142 https://doi.org/10.1021/acssensors.5c00403 

  • 22.Xu, Boyi, Jinsui Xu, et al., FeiYang*, Yitong Zhou*. “Ant-Inspired Ion Gel Sensor for Dual-Mode Detection ofForce and Humidity via Magnetic Induction,” ACS sensors 2025 10 (3), 2319-2329 https://doi.org/10.1021/acssensors.5c00032 

  • 23.Liang, Jiaqiao, Gaoming Lou, Fobao Zhou, Yumeng Cai, Chuang Wang, Yitong Zhou*. 'Residual Reinforcement Learning Based on Inverse Kinematic Modeling for Soft Robotic Arm Control.' ASME Journal of Dynamic Systems, Measurement, and Control. DS-24-1244,June 9, 2025 https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4068880

Patents    

  • [1] Triboelectric humidity pressure bimodal sensor and test method thereof, 2024116657835

  • [2] A wearable flexible rehabilitation device for wrist joints based on twisted string actuators, 2023226757347