Faculty
Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Sensors, Bio-inspired Robotics, Energy Storage System, Hydraulic Fracturing Automation
Co-PI, “Nasa Miro Inflatable Deployable Environments and Adaptive Space Systems (IDEAS2) Center”, Oct. 1, 2024- Sep. 30, 2029, NASA, $4,996,136 (PI Karolos Grigoriadis, Dr. Chen’s credit 10%).
PI, “Robotic Assistive Smart Touch Inspection of Offshore Oil and Gas Pipeline”, BSEE $960,493, Aug. 15 2023- Aug. 14 2026 (Co-PI Gangbing Song, Dr. Chen’s credit 50%).
PI, "CAREER: Artificial Muscle Based on Dielectric Elastomers for Dexterous and Compliant Prostheses," NSF CAREER Award, $500,000, May 1, 2017 – April 30, 2022.
Co-PI, “Autonomous Flight Control for Adverse and Hazardous Conditions”, AFRL, $250,000, 9/1/2022-8/31/2024, (PI: Marzia Cescon, Other Co-PI: Karolos Grigoriadis; Dr. Chen’s credit: 30%).
PI, “Swarming of Robotic Fish for CO2 Leakage Detection”, Center for Carbon Management for Energy, Center of Carbon Management for Energy, $72,000, Feb 1, 2022-July. 31, 2023, (Co-PI Miao Pan, Chen’s credit: 60%).
Co-PI, “CPS: Synergy: Collaborative Research: Towards Effective and Efficient Sensing-Motion Co-Design of Swarming Cyber-Physical Systems,” National Science Foundation, 01/01/2015 – 12/31/2017, $542,809 (PI: Pu Wang; Other Co-PI: Animesh Chakravarthy; Dr. Chen’s share: $186,795).
PI, “Towards Autonomous Service Robotics for Valve Inspection and Operation”, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, $139,500, Jan. 1, 2021-Dec. 31, 2021, (Co-PI Gangbing Song, Dr. Chen’s credit: 60%).
PI, “Developing Bio-inspired Buoyancy Control for Subsea Service AUVs”, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, $128,095, Jan. 1, 2021-Dec. 31, 2021, (Co-PI, Fathi Ghorbel, Dr. Chen’s credit: 55.9%).
PI, “Interfacing Robotics and Oil Rig Platform Doors”, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, $63,000, Oct. 30, 2019 – March 31, 2020, (Co-PI Gangbing Song, Dr. Chen’s credit: 55%).
Co-PI, “Integration of SmartTouch Inspection System with NASA R5 Valkyrie”, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, $291,836, May 2019-March 2020 (PI: Gangbing Song, Dr. Chen’s credit: 40%).
PI, “SmartTouch: Towards Autonomous Subsea Robotics for Underwater Pipeline Inspection”, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, $40,000, Nov. 1, 2018- June 31 2019 (Co-PI: Gangbing Song, Dr. Chen’s credit: 50%).
PI, “Solar Energy Storage Using Ionic Polymer-Metal Composite Enhanced Water Electrolysis for Hydrogen Production,” Kansas NSF EPSCoR First Award, Jan 2016 – Sep 2017, $80,802.
PI, “Auto-Tuning PID Control for Blender Automation System,” Baker Hughes, $90,398, July 1, 2014 – September 1, 2017.
Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER), National Science Foundation, 2017
First Award in Climate and Energy, Kansas NSF EPSCoR, 2016
Early Innovator Award, Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston, 2022
W.T. Kittinger Teaching Excellence Award, Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston, 2023
Assistant Professor Excellent Series (APEX) Speaker, University of Houston, 2019
Finalist, Best Paper Award, (with Wenyu Zuo), International Journal of Intelligent Robotics and Applications, 2024
Best Student Paper Award, (with Alicia Keow), IEEE International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics, 2020
Finalist, Best Paper Award, (with Alicia Keow), Renewable Energy Technical Committee, ASME Dynamic System and Control Division, 2019
Best Student Paper Award, (with Zhihang Ye), ASME 2019 DSCC TC Mechatronics, 2019
Best Paper Award, IEEE International Conference on Unmanned Systems, 2017
Multidisciplineary Research Project Award, Wichita State University, 2017
University Research/Creative Projects Award (URCA), Wichita State University, 2015
Award for Research/Creative Projects, Wichita State University, 2014
Served in Department Affair Committee
Served in Department Undergraduate Advising Committee
Served in Department Graduate Curriculum Committee
Served in College Teaching Award Committee
Served in Robotics and Automation Committee, Society of Underwater Technology
Served in NSF Panel
Served as judge for Science and Engineering Fair of Houston (SEFH) in 2022
Served as a Control System Consultant, IOT-eq
Served in IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society
Served as Session Chairs in ACC, AIM, ICRA, DCSD, and IROS conferences
Served in organizing committees for AIM, DCSD, WUWNet
Selected Publications
- Chen, J., Chen, Z., Zhu, W., Song, G. (2024). Underwater bolted flange looseness detection using percussion-induced sound and Feature-reduced Multi-ROCKET model. Structural Health Monitoring, 23(1), 4.
- Kaaya, T., Chen, Z. (2024). Modeling and control of planar dielectric elastomer energy harvester. Engineering Research Express, 6(2), 025519.
- Yi, X., Chen, Z. (2024). Image-based visual servoing control of remotely operated vehicle for underwater pipeline inspection. International Journal of Intelligent Robotics and Applications, 8(1), 1–13.
- Zuo, W., Zhang, F., Chen, Z. (2023). Bio-inspired robotic fish enabled motion tomography. International Journal of Intelligent Robotics and Applications, 7(3), 474–484.
- Zuo, W., Chen, J., Song, G., Chen, Z. (2023). A novel mobile robotic system for unmanned operation and inspection of handwheel offshore equipment. International Journal of Intelligent Robotics and Applications, 7(3), 462–473.
- He, S., Chen, J., Chen, Z., Song, G. (2023). An exploratory study of underwater bolted connection looseness detection using percussion and a shallow machine learning algorithm. Acta Mechanica Sinica/Lixue Xuebao, 39(4), 722360.
- T. Kaaya, R. Venkatraman, D. Koc, Chen, Z. (2023). Modeling and Control of Dielectric Elastomer Enabled Cuff Device for Enhancing Blood Flow at Lower Limbs. Article in Press.
Books / Book Chapters
- K. Kim, V. Palmre, D. Pugal, T. Stalbaum, Z. Chen, X. Tan, and M. Yamakita, “IPMCs as EAPs: Models,” In EAP Reference Book: Introduction to Transducers and Artificial Muscles Based on Electromechanically Active Polymers, Chapter 10, Edited by Federico Carpi, Springer International Publishing AG, pp. 1-20, 2016.
- Z. Chen, H. Bart-Smith, and X. Tan, "IPMC-Actuated Robotic Fish," In Robot Fish: Bio-inspired Fishlike Underwater Robots, Chapter 8, pp. 219-254, Springer, 2015.
- Z. Chen, T. Um, H. Bart-Smith, "Ionic Polymer-Metal Composite Artificial Muscles in Bio-inspired Engineering Research: Underwater Propulsion," In Smart Actuation and Sensing Systems - Recent Advances and Future Challenges, Chapter 10, pp. 223-248, InTech Open, 2012.
Patents
- Z. Chen, F. Ghorbel, “Variable Buoyance Control of Subsea Underwater Vehicles Using High Pressure Reversible Fuel Cell”, US Provisional patent application, submitted, 2023.
- Z. Chen, M. Pan, J. Chen, “Robotic Fish Enabled Carbon Dioxide Leak Detection for Offshore Carbon Dioxide Sequestration Monitoring”, US Provisional Patent application, submitted, 2022.
- Z. Chen, W. Zuo, G. Song, and J. Allen, “Robotics Assisted Door Opening Tool and Operation”, submitted for provisional patent, 2021
- Gangbing Song, Jinwei Jiang, Siu Chun Michael Ho, and Z Chen, “Portable System for PZT-based Inspection of Bolted Connections”, US Patent application, submitted, 2019
- Z. Chen, “Portable Solar Energy Storage System Using Ionic Polymer Metal Composite Enhanced Water Electrolysis”, US patent application, Application No. 15,726,748, 2017
- J. Zhu, H. Bart-Smith, and Z. Chen, “Gaseous Flow Sensor and Related Method Thereof”, US patent, (Issued No: 9,746,361 B2), Aug. 29, 2017
- H. Farhoud, Z. Chen, K Cluff, R Asmatulu, and J. Patterson, “System and Method for implantable Electroactive Polymer Heart Assistive Mesh”, US patent application, 2016
- B. Naizer, J. Jordan, P. Thomson, Z. Chen, “Apparatus and Methods for Measuring and/or Adjusting the Height of Material in the Bin of a Hopper Assembly”, US 9285260 B2, 2016
- X. Tan, N. Xi, Z. Chen, and Y. Shen, “Integrated Actuator-Sensor Structure”, US Patent, (Issued No: US 7,982,375 B2), Issued on July 19, 2011