😀 About Me

👋 Hi there! I am Shaowu Tang (唐 绍武), a Ph.D. student in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Southern California (USC), advised by Prof. Hangbo Zhao. My current research focuses on Soft Robotics and Flexible Electronics.

I received my M.Eng. degree from Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) in 2025, where I was advised by Prof. Jian S. Dai and Prof. Zheng Wang, and collaborated closely with Prof. Sicong Liu and Prof. Juan Yi. Prior to that, I obtained my B.Eng. degree from the Mao Yisheng Honors College at Southwest Jiaotong University (SWJTU) in 2022.

Feel free to reach out to me at [email protected]

🔥 News

Our paper on Monolithically 3D-Printed Proprioceptive Actuators has been accepted by Soft Robotics! Huge thanks to all co-authors!

👨‍🎓 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 Technology University

• 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 Articles

[9] Bidirectional payload enhancement of soft actuator via nested dual-chamber origami structure. [Link] [PDF]
Xiaohuang Liu, Zhonggui Fang, Shaowu Tang, Fang Chen, Dihan Liu, Sicong Liu*, Juan Yi, Hongqiang Wang, Zheng Wang, Jian S. Dai*
Thin-Walled Structures, 2025: 114187.

[8] A Multi-Facet-Effector Soft Robot in Polyhedral Configuration for Multidirectional Function Reuse. [Link] [PDF]
Yige Wu, Nan Huang, Shaowu Tang, Xiaohuang Liu, Xianxu Li, Sicong Liu*, Juan Yi, Zheng Wang, Jian S. Dai*
Mechanism and Machine Theory, 2025, 217: 106240.

[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. 8, no. 11, pp. 7559-7566.

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.