😀 About Me

👋 Hi there! I am Shaowu Tang (唐 绍武 in Chinese), a Ph.D. student in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Southern California (USC), working under the supervision of Prof. Hangbo Zhao. Previously, I obtained my M.Eng. degree from Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) in June 2025, advised by Prof. Jian S. Dai and Prof. Zheng Wang, and my B.Eng. degree from Mao Yisheng Honors College, Southwest Jiaotong University (SWJTU) in June 2022.

My research interests focus on micro/nano-scale sensor systems, leveraging biomimetic structures and micro/nano-fabrication techniques to develop sophisticated sensors inspired by highly refined biological systems. I am particularly excited about the future of intelligent robots equipped with advanced sensing capabilities that have the potential to enhance everyday life.

Outside of research, I enjoy running and cycling, following sports and economic news, and learning about the history and culture of different countries and regions.

🔥 News

I successfully defended my Master’s thesis! I’m deeply grateful for everyone’s support throughout these past 3 years!

As one of the original members, I joined the BFI Lab at SZTU and participated in its initial construction!

I’ve received a fully-funded PhD offer from the University of Southern California (USC)! This marks one of the most significant milestones in my life! See you in LA!

Our work on Pump-Valve Pneumatic Actuation System for Soft Robots has been accepted by the journal RA-L! It’s a great start to 2025!

👨‍🎓 Education

Mechanical Engineering, University of Southern California

• Los Angeles, CA, USA

Intelligent Manufacturing and Robotics, Southern University of Science and Technology

• Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
• Advisor: Jian S. Dai and Zheng Wang

Mechanical Design, Manufacturing and Automation, Southwest Jiaotong University

• Chengdu, Sichuan, China

💼 Professional Experience

Biorobotics and Foldable Intelligence Laboratory (BFI Lab) at Shenzhen University of Technology

• Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
• Principal Investigator: Sicong Liu

Bionic and Control Lab (BCL) at Southern University of Science and Technology

• Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
• Principal Investigator: Zheng Wang

📝 Publications

†: Equal contribution, *: Corresponding author

Journal Articals

[7] Single Pump-Valve Pneumatic Actuation With Continuous Flow Rate Control for Soft Robots. [Link] [PDF] [Video]
Sicong Liu†, Lin Wang†, Zhongfeng Qian†, Dihan Liu, Wenpei Zhu, Shaowu Tang, Xuda Zhao, Wenjian Yang, Ying Lu, Juan Yi, Jian S. Dai*, Zheng Wang*
IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 2399-2406.

[6] 3D Printed Multi-Cavity Soft Actuator with Integrated Motion and Sensing Functionalities via Bio-Inspired Interweaving Foldable Endomysium. [Link] [PDF] [Video]
Zhonggui Fang, Shaowu Tang, Yinyin Su, Xiaohuang Liu, Sicong Liu*, Juan Yi, Zheng Wang, Jian S. Dai*
Advanced Science, 2025, 12(3): 2409060.

[5] Soft Robotic Proprioception Enhancement Via 3D-Printed Differential Optical Waveguide Design. [Link] [PDF] [Video]
Shaowu Tang, Kailuan Tang, Yutao Guo, Shijian Wu, Jiahao Xu, Benkang Lou, Sicong Liu, Juan Yi*, Jian S. Dai, Zheng Wang
IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, vol. 9, no. 8, pp. 6975-6982.

[4] Learning Based Exteroception of Soft Underwater Manipulator with Soft Actuator Network. [Link] [PDF]
Kailuan Tang, Shaowu Tang, Chenghua Lu, Shijian Wu, Sicong Liu, Juan Yi, Jian S. Dai, Zheng Wang*
IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, vol. 9, no. 12, pp. 11082-11089.

[3] High-Performance Hydraulic Soft Robotic Control Using Continuous Flow Regulation and Partial Feedback. [Link] [PDF] [Video]
Shijian Wu, Kailuan Tang, Shaowu Tang, Sicong Liu, Juan Yi*, Jian S. Dai, Zheng Wang*
IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, vol. 9, no. 8, pp. 6967-6974.

[2] Performance enhancement of the soft robotic segment for a trunk-like arm. [Link] [PDF]
Shaowu Tang†, Kailuan Tang†, Shijian Wu, Yin Xiao, Sicong Liu, Juan Yi*, Zheng Wang*
Frontiers in Robotics and AI, 2023, 10: 1210217.

[1] A Strong Underwater Soft Manipulator with Planarly-bundled Actuators and Accurate Position Control. [Link] [PDF] [Video]
Kailuan Tang, Chenghua Lu, Yishan Chen, Yin Xiao, Shijian Wu, Shaowu Tang, Hexiang Wang, Binbin Zhang, Zhong Shen, Juan Yi, Sicong Liu, Zheng Wang*
IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, vol. 9, no. 8, pp. 6967-6974.

Conference Papers

[3] A Multi-Facet-Effector Soft Robot in Polyhedral Configuration for Multidirectional Function Reuse. [Link] [PDF] [Video]
Yige Wu, Xiaohuang Liu, Shaowu Tang, Sicong Liu*, Juan Yi, Zheng Wang, Jian S. Dai*
The 6th International Conference on Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots (ReMAR), Chicago, IL, USA, 2024, pp. 601-607.
Best Paper Award

[2] Nested Dual-cavity Origami Enhancing Payload via Collaboration of Positive and Negative Pressure Actuation for Soft Actuator. [Link] [PDF]
Xiaohuang Liu, Zhonggui Fang, Shaowu Tang, Fang Chen, Sicong Liu*, Hongqiang Wang, Zheng Wang, Jian S. Dai*
The 17th International Conference on Intelligent Robotics and Applications (ICIRA), Xi'an China

[1] Miura-origami Soft Robots with Proprioceptive and Interactive Sensing via Embedded Optical Sensors. (Abstract, Oral) [Link] [Slides]
Shaowu Tang, Sicong Liu*, Jian S. Dai*
The 30th International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering and Sciences (ICCES), Singapore

😉 Misc

• I often go for a Run to relax after a day’s work.