Zhongchao Zhou — accepted AI-conference papers

2026

Accounting for the Interaction Between a Dummy Finger and Joint Modular Soft Actuators for Multi-Joint Support Using a Novel FEM-Based Approach

Pablo Enrique Tortós Vinocour, Shota Kokubu, Fuko Matsunaga, Yuxi Lu, Zhongchao Zhou, Naoki Kamijo +3

RA-L 2026

Soft actuators are safer than rigid robots for hand rehabilitation, yet their performance can be significantly affected by interactions that occur on multi-joint systems. Actuator–finger and actuator–actuator interactions can impact bending output and make actuator performance dependent on the actua

Cited by 0 Source ↗Scholar ↗

2026

Grasp, Reason, Act: Tactile-Language Model for Zeroshot Sim2real Grasp Stability Prediction and Re-Grasping

Gang Yan, Jiaxian Guo, Khrapchenkov Petr, Zhongchao Zhou, Yaonan Zhu, Yusuke Iwasawa +1

RA-L 2026

Robotic tactile learning is a critical research area for enabling robots to perform complex manipulation tasks with human-like dexterity and adaptability. However, ensuring grasp stability remains one of the most fundamental yet challenging problems in tactile sensing. Existing approaches predominan

Cited by 0 Source ↗Scholar ↗

2026

Offline-Trained GAN-Augmented Highly Adaptive Control with Multi-DoF Fusion for Pneumatic Soft Surgical Robots (I)

Yuxi Lu, Zhongchao Zhou, Dongliang Zheng, Yanmin Zhou, Zhipeng Wang, Shuo Jiang +2

ICRA 2026poster

Pneumatic soft robots are well-suited for minimally invasive surgery owing to their compliance and safe interaction with tissues. However, achieving highly adaptive control is difficult owing to modeling inaccuracies, inter-chamber coupling, and disturbances from surgical instruments. Non-learning a…

Cited by 0 Scholar ↗

2024

Development of a Dual Function Joint Modular Soft Actuator and its Evaluation Using a Novel Dummy Finger Joint-Soft Actuator Complex Model

Pablo Enrique Tortós Vinocour, Shota Kokubu, Fuko Matsunaga, Yuxi Lu, Zhongchao Zhou, José Gómez-Tames +1

RA-L 2024

Soft actuators, made from soft materials, offer a safer alternative to rigid robots for use on hand rehabilitation devices. A current challenge is to ensure these actuators comply with human finger morphology. To gain better insights into actuator mechanics when worn on and interacting with human fi

Cited by 8 Source ↗Scholar ↗

2022

Optimization of Spring Constant of a Pneumatic Artificial Muscle-Spring Driven Antagonistic Structure

Zhongchao Zhou, Shota Kokubu, Yuanyuan Wang, Yuxi Lu, Pablo Enrique Tortós, Wenwei Yu

RA-L 2022

Pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs) have been widely applied to robotic systems, especially assistive devices, which could benefit from PAMs’ intrinsic viscoelasticity. However, nonlinearity and hysteresis make it challenging to achieve high-accuracy control. Using pre-tensioned springs to replace o

Cited by 7 Source ↗Scholar ↗

2021

Designing Soft Pneumatic Actuators for Thumb Movements

Yuanyuan Wang, Shota Kokubu, Zhongchao Zhou, Xinyao Guo, Ya-Hsin Hsueh, Wenwei Yu

RA-L 2021

Studies have developed various types of soft robotic gloves for hand rehabilitation in recent years. Most soft actuators achieved a sufficient thumb flexion assist while lacking opposition support, which requires the coordination of thumb flexion and abduction-adduction. The difficulties for thumb s

Cited by 26 Source ↗Scholar ↗