Professor Peter Weiliang Xu

Biography

2017 IEEE 24th International Conference on Mechatronics and Machine Vision in Practice (M2VIP2017), Auckland, New Zealand, 21-23 Nov 2017

Peter Xu joined the University of Auckland on 1  February 2011, as Chair in Mechatronics Engineering.  He was the Professor of Mechatronics (2007-2010), Associate Professor (2005-2006) and Senior Lecturer (1999-2004) in School of Engineering and Advanced Technology, Massey University, New Zealand. Prior to coming to New Zealand, he worked at the City University of Hong Kong (1993-1998), the University of Stuttgart, Germany (1990-1992) and Southeast University, China (1988-1989).

His current research interests are mainly in areas of advanced mechatronics/robotics with applications in medicine and foods. He is Senior Member of IEEE and Fellow of IPENZ (Institution of Professional Engineers of New Zealand). He has served as Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics (since 2003), was Associate Editor for IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine (2008-2009), and Editor for International Journal of Intelligent Systems Technologies and Applications, IJISTA (2005-2010).

Professor Xu is the Principal Invstigator for Research Theme "Intervential Technologies" and the Leader for Platform Technology "Actuation and Control" at the New Zealand Medical Technologies Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE).

Professor Xu is also an Associate Investigator at Riddet Institute, The New Zealand Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE) in Food, Innovation and Health and The Dodd-Walls Centre for Photonics and Quantum Technologies, The New Zealand Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE).

During his 2017 sabbatical leave, Professor Xu is Guest Professor at the University of Stuttgart, Germany, working on a funded project Soft Tissue Robotics, with Institute of Control Technologies for Machine Tools and Manufacturing Units (www.isw.uni-stuttgart.de).

Qualifications

BE (Manufacturing), Southeast University, China, 1982
ME (Mechanical), Southeast University, China, 1985
PhD (Mechtraonics), Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 1988

Click here for Professor Peter Xu's full CV (last updated Jan 2017).

Research | Current

• Advanced robotics in foods
  • Chewing robotics
  • Swallowing robotics
  • Neurobotics
  • Soft-bodied peristaltic XY table for simultaneous sorting of multiple delicate objects
  • Robotic instrumentation for food texture and rheology analysis
• Advanced mechatronics in medicine
  • Soft-bodied robotic instrumentation
  • Robotic orthopedics
  • Neurological rehabilitation
  • Minimally invasive surgery - fiber optic surgical tools
• Advanced mechatronics for agriculture 
  • Aerial manipulation for forest canopy sampling
  • Autonomous omni-directional mobile robotics
  • Automatic pine tree shoot culturing

Teaching | Current

• MECHENG 322 - Control Systems 
• MECHENG 706 - Mechatronics Design 
• MECHENG 724 - Multivariable Control Systems 
• MECHENG 736 - Biomechatronic Systems

Postgraduate supervision

Current on-going PhD students (Status of Sep 2016)

1. Z.X. Chen, Data-driven Closed-loop Control of a Soft Robotics Table for Simultaneous Multiple Object Manipulation, The University of Auckland, 2019 (expected)
2. B.X. Chen, Soft Robotics – Sensing and Control for Foods Mastication, The University of Auckland, 2019 (expected)
3. D. Bhattacharya, Primary and Secondary Peristalsis Control of a Soft-bodied Swallowing Robot, The University of Auckland, 2019 (expected)
4. S. Mostashiri, Dynamics and Control of Actuation Redundant Parallel Robots,  The University of Auckland, 2019 (expected)
5. D. Yu, Modeling and Analysis of a Pneumatically Actuated Soft Robot Mimicking Human Gastric Motility, The University of Auckland, 2018 (expected)
6. A.B. Hashem, Biomimicry of Human Gastric Motility Soft-bodied Robot, The University of Auckland,  2018
7. A.B. Din, Stretchable Sensing for Pressure and Deformation in Soft-bodied Robotics, The University of Auckland, 2018 (expected)
8. H. Chen, Miniature Fiber Optic Raman Sensor for In Vivo Non-contact Nerve Detection in Minimally Invasive Spine, The University of Auckland, 2018  (expected)
9. J. Kutia, Aerial Manipulation for Canopy Sampling, The University of Auckland, The University of Auckland, 2017 (expected)
10. L. Xie, Mechatronics Design and Energy-Optimal Autonomous Navigation of a Heavy-Duty Omnidirectional Mecanum Mobile Robot, The University of Auckland, 2017 (expected)
11. Z.C. Deng, A Novel XY Soft Machine Table Capable of Simultaneous Multiple Object Manipulation Through Surface Deformation, The University of Auckland, 2017 (expected)
12. X.M. Lu, PhD, Soft-bodied Robotic Tongue, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, China, 2017 (expected)
13. Z.L. Mo, A Miniature Temperature-Compensated Fiber Optic Force Sensor for Minimally Invasive Surgeries, The University of Auckland, 2017 (expected)

Distinctions/Honours

Alexander von Homboldt (AvH) Research Fellowship (1990)

Korean Federation of Science and Technology (KoFST) Research Fellowship (2006)

Japan Society of the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Research Fellowship (2010)

Young Academics Research Award, Fuk Ying Tong Foundation, China (1996)

Responsibilities

Programme Director, BE(Hons) Mechatronics Engineering

Areas of expertise

Mechatronics, Robotics and Automation

Committees/Professional groups/Services

Associate Editor, ASME Journal of Engineering and Science in Medical Diagnosis and Therapy (ASME-JESMDT), since 2017

Associate Editor, IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, since 2003

Associate Editor, IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine, 2008-2010

Editor/Editorial Board Member, International Journal of Intelligent Systems Technology and Applications, since 2005

Technical Committee Member, Sensors and Actuators, IEEE, since 2012

Professional affiliations

• Senior Member IEEE
• Fellow, IPENZ