Homepage of

Xianwen Kong

PhD, ASME Fellow, FHEA

 

 

Research

Teaching

Members

Publications

Professional services

Collaboration

Links

 

 

 

Three PhD student positions open for application

 

EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Robotics and Autonomous Systems (CDT-RAS) Studentships for September 2021

(Details about the studentships can be found at https://www.edinburgh-robotics.org/apply)

 

1.   140001 Soft robotic hand for dexterous grasping and in-hand manipulation

          (For more information, please visit https://www.edinburgh-robotics.org/projects-list)

 

EPS Scholarships for PhD Research from autumn 2021

    (Level of awards and requirements can be found at:

 https://www.hw.ac.uk/uk/schools/engineering-physical-sciences/research/james-watt.htm):

1.    EPS2021/30: Development of a smart precision 3D assembly system

2.    EPS2021/29: Design of a collaborative parallel robot

 

Research

 

Dr Kong’s research interests include mechanisms, robotics, mechatronics and their industrial, biomedical and renewable energy applications at the macro-, micro- and nano-scales. He has published a book on parallel manipulators by Springer and has been granted two United States patents (with Prof. C Gosselin), in addition to several journal and conference papers.

 

Dr Kong’s research projects mainly include:

 

1. Kong, X. (HWU-PI) and Erden, M.S. (HWU-CI) and Vargas P.A. (HWU-CI), “A multiscale digital twin-driven smart manufacturing system for high value-added products” (EP/T024844/1), EPSRC, £513k (as a part of £2.8m project led by Prof X Luo from Univ Strathclyde), May 2020-April 2024

2. Kong, X. (PI), and O'Donovan, T. “Toward a high-efficiency and easy-to-install CPV solar panel,”(KTP011091) KTP, £238k, 2018-2020

3. Kong, X. (HWU-PI) and Dunnigan, M. (HWU-CI), “Miniature flexible & reconfigurable manufacturing system for 3D Micro-products” (EP/K018345/1), EPSRC, £449k (as a part of £2.1m project led by Prof X Luo from Univ Strathclyde), July 2013-December 2017

4. Kong, X. “Creative design of parallel manipulators with multiple operation modes,” EP/I016333/1, EPSRC (July 2011-December 2012) (Link to the project)

5. Kong, X., Chablat, D. and Caro, S. “Design of energy-efficient reconfigurable parallel manipulators,” International Joint Project (with France), Royal Society.  

 

Highlights

 

1. Jieyu Wang, a third year PhD student, was selected for the final round of the 2018 ASME (America Society of Mechanical Engineers) Student Mechanism and Robot Design Competition, which will be hold at the ASME 2018 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and Information in Engineering Conference (IDETC/CIE 2018) in Quebec City, Canada in August 2018. Jieyu reached the finals in the graduate category with her project entitled “Multi-Mode Deployable Polyhedron Mechanisms”. The competition organizer will provide her with $800 travel fund for her to participate the conference in Canada. 

2. Jieyu Wang was awarded one of the EPS Postgraduate Research 2nd Year Prizes in October 2017.

3. Guochao Bai was awarded one of the EPS Postgraduate Research 2nd Year Prizes in October 2017.

4. The M-infinity Motion team (Dr Kong, Ross Walker and Jieyu Wang), won the third prize at the 2016 China-UK Entrepreneurship Challenge at the finals in Chongqing, China hold in November 2016.

5. Xavier Herpe, a third-year PhD student, was awarded a best paper award at The International Conference for Students on Applied Engineering, Newcastle, 20-21 October, 2016.

6. The M-infinity Motion team (Dr Kong, Ross Walker and Jieyu Wang), won the second prize at the 2016 China-UK Entrepreneurship Challenge at the finals in London hold on 7 July, 2016.

7. Jieyu Wang, a first-year PhD student, was awarded a 500USD Young Delegate Scholarship from EUCOMES, to be hold in France in September 2016 for her to participant this conference.

8. Guochao Bai, a second year PhD student, was selected for the final round of the 2016 ASME (America Society of Mechanical Engineers) Student Mechanism and Robot Design Competition, which will be hold at the ASME 2016 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and Information in Engineering Conference (IDETC/CIE 2016) in Charlotte, USA in August 2016. Guochao reached the finals in the graduate category with his project entitled “Meso-Gripper”.  The competition organizer will provide him with $1100 travel fund for him to participate the conference in USA. 

9. Artem I Lukianov, a final year BEng student, was selected for the final round of the 2016 ASME  Student Mechanism and Robot Design Competition, which will be hold at the ASME 2016 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and Information in Engineering Conference (IDETC/CIE 2016) in Charlotte, USA in August 2016. Artem reached the finals in the undergraduate category with his project entitled ‘Foldable support for people to hold a plate and a cup in one hand’. The competition organizer will provide him with $1100 travel fund for him to participate the conference in USA. 

10. Jieyu Wang, a first-year PhD student, gave an invited talk entitled by “Multiple-mode mechanisms” at the Workshop on Software and Application of Numerical Algebraic Geometry, which was held in South Bend, USA during 23-25 May, 2016. Her travel was supported by a travel fund ($1144 plus free hotel and breakfast as well as free workshop registration) from the workshop organizers and a £500 Neilson travel fund from the IMPEE.

11. The third open access paper by X Kong, entitled “Reconfiguration analysis of a 4-DOF 3-RER parallel manipulator with equilateral triangular base and moving platform”, has been published online since January 2016. The paper can be freely accessed from here.

12. Xavier Herpe, a first-year PhD student, was awarded the Best Student Paper Award at the 2015 IEEE International Conference on Automation and Computing (ICAC 2015) hold on September 11-12, 2015 in Glasgow, UK.

13. Guochao Bai, a first-year PhD student, was selected for the final round of the 2015 ASME (America Society of Mechanical Engineers) Student Mechanism and Robot Design Competition, which took place at the ASME 2015 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and Information in Engineering Conference (IDETC/CIE 2015) in Boston, USA between 2nd and 5th August, 2015. Guochao received the travel fund from the competition organiser, Heriot-Watt Annual Fund and IMPEE travel fund for attending this conference and reached the sixth place in the Graduate category with his project entitled "Transforming Wheel". 

14. Nguyen, a final year BEng Robotic & Cybertronics student, was selected for the final round of the 2015 ASME (America Society of Mechanical Engineers) Student Mechanism and Robot Design Competition, which took place at the ASME 2015 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and Information in Engineering Conference (IDETC/CIE 2015) in Boston, USA between 2nd and 5th August, 2015. He received the travel fund from the competition organiser and financial support from EPS for attending this conference and reached the fourth place in the undergraduate category with his project entitled "3D printed underactuated anthropomorphic hand utilising modular design and flexible compliant joints". 

15.  Xiuyun He was awarded the Best Student Paper Award at The 3rd IEEE/IFToMM International Conference on Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots held in Beijing, China during 20-22 July, 2015.

16. The second open access paper by Dr X Kong and Y Jan, entitled “Type Synthesis of 3-DOF multi-mode translational/spherical parallel mechanisms with lockable joints”, has recently been published online. The paper can be freely accessed from here.

17. The first open access paper by Dr X Kong, entitled “Reconfiguration analysis of a 3-DOF parallel mechanism using Euler parameter quaternions and algebraic geometry method”, has recently been published. This paper has been among the top 3 most-downloaded papers published in Mechanism and Machine Theory. The paper can be freely accessed from here. 

18. The Chinese Translation of Dr X Kong’s monograph entitled “Type Synthesis of Parallel Mechanisms” published by Springer was been published by the China Machine Press in the Translation Series in International Advanced Technologies in Mechanical Engineering, China in November 2013

 

 

 

18. The Russian Translation of Dr X Kong’s monograph entitled “Type Synthesis of Parallel Mechanisms” published by Springer was been published by the FIZMATLIT – Nauka Publishers, Russia in November 2012

19. Dr X Kong received the 2012 Freudenstein/General Motors Young Investigator Award at the 36th ASME Mechanism and Robotics Conference held in Chicago, USA in August 2012

20. Dr Guangbo Hao graduated from the group and joined University College Cork, Ireland as a lecturer in 2011. Congratulations to Guangbo!!!

21. Mr R Doak was on the finalist for the 2011 SET AWARDS.