EMBODICA Lab

Embodied Intelligence and Robotic Systems (EMBODICA) Lab
School of Intelligence and Science Technology
Nanjing University (Suzhou Campus)

Lab Logo

Highlights

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Headline of Science website.

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Art work of our Nature Machine Intelligence paper.

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Rat-like robot.

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Snake-like robotic arm.

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Snake-track robot.

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Snake-like robot.

Research areas

Robotics

robotic system

We explore the design, control, and application of diverse robotic systems—including rat robots, snake robots, robotic arms, and humanoid robots—to advance intelligent, adaptive, and multifunctional automation across complex environments.

Embodied Intelligence

Human Robot Interaction

This research focuses on embodied AI, foundation model, and reinforcement learning to enable intelligent agents that can learn, adapt, and act effectively in real-world environments through physical interaction and large-scale knowledge integration.

News

Jan 13, 2025 Seven papers have been accepted by ICRA 2025.
Jan 6, 2025 Our recent work “Preserving and combining knowledge in roboticlifelong reinforcement learning” has been published by Nature Machine Intelligence! Read it at here!
Dec 5, 2024 Our recent work “Modulating emotional states of rats through a rat-like robot with learned interaction patterns” has been published by Nature Machine Intelligence! Read it at here! This work is also featured as the cover of the issue in December 2024!
Dec 6, 2023 Our recent work “Lateral flexion of a compliant spine improves motor performance in a bioinspired mouse robot” has been published on Science Robotics!

Selected Publications

  1. Lateral flexion of a compliant spine improves motor performance in a bioinspired mouse robot
    Zhenshan Bing*, Alex Rohregger, Florian Walter, Yuhong Huang, Peer Lucas, Fabrice O. Morin, Kai Huang*, and Alois Knoll*
    Science Robotics 2023
  2. Preserving and combining knowledge in robotic lifelong reinforcement learning
    Yuan Meng, Zhenshan Bing*, Xiangtong Yao, Kejia Chen, Kai Huang, Yang Gao, Fuchun Sun, and Alois Knoll
    Nature Machine Intelligence 2025
  3. Context-Based Meta-Reinforcement Learning With Bayesian Nonparametric Models
    Zhenshan Bing, Yuqi Yun, Kai Huang, and Alois Knoll
    IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence (TPAMI) 2024
  4. Simulation to Real: Learning Energy-Efficient Slithering Gaits for a Snake-Like Robot
    Zhenshan Bing, Long Cheng, Kai Huang, and Alois Knoll
    IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine 2022
  5. Meta-reinforcement learning in non-stationary and dynamic environments
    Zhenshan Bing, David Lerch, Kai Huang, and Alois Knoll
    IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence 2022
  6. Solving Robotic Manipulation with Sparse Reward Reinforcement Learning via Graph-Based Diversity and Proximity
    Zhenshan Bing, Hongkuan Zhou, Rui Li, Xiaojie Su, Fabrice Oliver Morin, Kai Huang, and Alois Knoll
    IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics 2022
  7. Toward Cognitive Navigation: Design and Implementation of a Biologically Inspired Head Direction Cell Network
    Zhenshan Bing, Amir EI Sewisy, Genghang Zhuang, Florian Walter, Fabrice O. Morin, Kai Huang, and Alois Knoll
    IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks and Learning Systems 2022
  8. Robotic Manipulation in Dynamic Scenarios via Bounding-Box-Based Hindsight Goal Generation
    Zhenshan Bing, Erick Álvarez, Long Cheng, Fabrice O. Morin, Rui Li, Xiaojie Su, Kai Huang, and Alois Knoll
    IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks and Learning Systems 2021
  9. Complex Robotic Manipulation via Graph-Based Hindsight Goal Generation
    Zhenshan Bing, Matthias Brucker, Fabrice O. Morin, Rui Li, Xiaojie Su, Kai Huang, and Alois Knoll
    IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks and Learning Systems 2021
  10. Modeling Grid Cell Distortions with a Grid Cell Calibration Mechanism
    Daniel Strauß, Zhenshan Bing#, Genghang Zhuang, Kai Huang, and Alois Knoll
    Cyborg and Bionic Systems 2024
  11. Modulating emotional states of rats through a rat-like robot with learned interaction patterns
    Guanglu Jia, Zhe Chen, Yulai Zhang, Zhenshan Bing, Zhenzhen Quan, Xuechao Chen, Alois Knoll, Qiang Huang, and Qing Shi
    Nature Machine Intelligence 2024