What’s the Future of Robotics? As robots become increasingly integrated into various sectors, they must possess the ability to learn, adapt, and collaborate across disciplines to effectively address the complexities of our evolving world. This multifaceted approach allows robots to engage more effectively with humans and their surroundings, fostering seamless interactions and enhancing overall functionality. In the future, robots could co-evolve with humans to tackle challenges in areas such as healthcare, manufacturing, and smart cities. To achieve this, robots must embody multiple characteristics, including being Integrated, Intelligent, Innovative, and, most importantly, Interdisciplinary.

Multi-I Robotic System (MIRS) Lab, our mission is to lead research and development in these critical areas. The “I” in our name represents Integrated systems, Intelligent algorithms, Innovative design, and an Interdisciplinary team. We are dedicated to exploring fundamental sciences and innovative technologies to empower the capabilities of robots, ensuring they are not only efficient but also effective in real-world scenarios. By pushing the boundaries of robotics, we strive to contribute to the development of versatile, adaptive solutions that meet the diverse needs of society today and in the future.

We welcome collaboration from all sectors to advance robotics technology and look forward to achieving more breakthroughs in our future research endeavors!

On-going Research:

Biomedical Robots (Micro/Nano- and Meso- scale): We design and guide miniaturized robots capable of performing biopsies, diagnostics, and therapeutic tasks within the body. Our goal is to redefine biomedical robots and tools by developing compact, portable devices for minimally invasive procedures. We explore various methods to create functional miniature systems adaptable to diverse scenarios, incorporating advanced materials, manufacturing techniques, electronics, and AI. Our work aims to introduce groundbreaking therapies and advance the next generation of biomedical devices, ultimately improving patient comfort and quality of life.

AI-Enhanced Human-Robot Interaction (Macro- scale): We are advancing human-robot interaction by creating intelligent sensors, end effectors, tools, and devices integrated with cutting-edge AI algorithms. These innovations enhance robots’ understanding of their environment and tasks, enabling dexterous manipulation and intelligent interactions, while fostering seamless integration. Our research in this domain holds the potential to bring to life the futuristic scenarios often portrayed in science fiction, where AI-driven technologies establish new paradigms of possibility.

Relevant Fundamentals: We are captivated by a variety of questions, such as how to integrate intelligence on a miniature scale, the emergent behaviors of simple organisms under stress, the complexities of highly sensory skin, and how basic neural connections can yield advanced intelligence. These inquiries motivate us to bridge scientific research and engineering innovation, drawing from fields like Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Materials Science, and so on. By emulating nature’s mechanisms in engineering contexts, we aim to unravel its mysteries, expand our understanding, and spark new pathways for robotic advancements. With a steadfast commitment to discovery, we embark on a journey to explore the unknown and channel our enthusiasm into transformative possibilities.

10 Selected Publications:

1. Yifeng Tang, Gen Li, Tieshan Zhang, Hao Ren, Xiong Yang, Liu Yang, Dong Guo, Yajing Shen*,  “Digital Channel-Enabled Distributed Force Decoding via Small Datasets for Hand-Centric Interactions,” Science Advances, 11, eadt2641 (2025).
2. Tieshan Zhang, Gen Li, Hao Ren, Liu Yang, Xiong Yang, Rong Tan, Yifeng Tang, Dong Guo, Haoxiang Zhao, Wanfeng Shang, Yajing Shen*, “Sub-Millimeter Fiberscopic Robot with Integrated Maneuvering, Imaging, and Biomedical Operation Abilities,” Nature Communications, 15, 10874 (2024). [Editors’ Highlights: one of the 50 best papers recently published in the area of “Devices”]
3. Rong Tan, Xiong Yang, Haojian Lu, Yajing Shen*. “One-step formation of polymorphous sperm-like microswimmers by vortex turbulence-assisted microfluidics”, Nature Communications, 15, 4761 (2024). [Editors’ Highlights: one of the 50 best papers recently published in the area of “Applied physics and mathematics”]
4. Yuanyuan Yang, Yajing Shen*. “A liquid metal-based module emulating the intelligent preying logic of flytrap”, Nature Communications, 15, 3398 (2024). 
5. Liu Yang, Tieshan Zhang, Han Huang, Hao Ren, Wanfeng Shang*, Yajing Shen*, “An on-wall-rotating strategy for effective upstream motion of untethered millirobot: principle, design and demonstration”, IEEE Transactions on Robotics, vol. 39, no. 3, pp. 2419-2428 (2023).
6. Xiong Yang, Rong Tan, Haojian Lu, Toshio Fukuda, Yajing Shen*. “Milli-scale cellular robots that can reconfigure morphologies and behaviors simultaneously”,  Nature Communications, 13, 4156 (2022).
7. Panbing Wang, MAR Al Azad, Xiong Yang, Paolo R Martelli, Kam Yan Cheung, Jiahai Shi*, Yajing Shen*. “Self-adaptive and efficient propulsion of Ray sperms at different viscosities enabled by heterogeneous dual helixes”,  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118, e2024329118 (2021).
8. Youcan Yan, Zhe Hu, Zhengbao Yang, Wenzhen Yuan, Chaoyang Song, Jia Pan*, Yajing Shen*. “Soft magnetic skin for super-resolution tactile sensing with force self-decoupling”, Science Robotics, 6, eabc8801 (2021). [highlighted by Science in Video]
9. Xiong Yang, Wanfeng Shang, Haojian Lu, Yanting Liu, Liu Yang, Rong Tan, Xinyu Wu*, Yajing Shen*. “An agglutinate magnetic spray transforms inanimate objects into millirobots for biomedical applications”,  Science Robotics, 5, eabc8191 (2020). [featured by CCTV]
10. Haojian Lu, Mei Zhang, Yuanyuan Yang, Qiang Huang, Toshio Fukuda, Zuankai Wang*, Yajing Shen*. “A bioinspired multilegged soft millirobot that functions in both dry and wet conditions”,  Nature Communications, 9, 1-7 (2018). [top 5 most read Nature Communications articles in physics in 2018; top 10 progress in Robotic in China in 2018]