Dr. Tan Chen (ECE:AI,CPS) got some big news during the 2024 Summer semester. He is the recipient of the ORAU Junior Faculty Enhancement Award and was also recently awarded a grant through NASA. And he’s doing some pretty cool research, so stick around to read more about it:
ORAU
The ORAU Junior Faculty Enhancement Award is a highly competitive opportunity that received 174 applications from early career faculty across the 91 member institutions in the country. Dr. Chen was one of the 37 awardees in this year’s cycle – a tremendous recognition that will provide him with $5,000 in seedling funding that will be used to support expenses relevant to furthering his research.
My research focuses on robotics, control theory, and machine learning. I will use the award for the development of machine learning tools for modeling and control of large scale dynamical systems.
NASA
In regards to the NASA award, the news will make you jump over the moon (and then walk on it). His project, titled “Investigating Lunar Bipedal Locomotion Mechanics and Predicting Human Musculoskeletal Health on the Moon”, was awarded $289,455 to accomplish the following:
With upcoming space exploration missions, it is crucial to improve our understanding of the impact of hypogravity on biped locomotion. Human locomotion is optimized with respect to the earth’s gravity, and the moon’s gravity is approximately one-sixth of earth’s gravity, leading to significant differences in how bipedal locomotion works on the moon. In fact, this has been observed when the astronauts first landed on the moon – discovering that hopping could be more energy-efficient than walking. However, there is a lack of systematic understanding of walking on the moon. This project will investigate human locomotion on lunar surfaces by developing a musculoskeletal model and reinforcement learning algorithm, and designing and fabricating a hypogravity simulator to validate the theoretical findings. As the lunar environment can also affect human musculoskeletal health, this project will also assess such impact and design a suitable exercise countermeasure to optimize performance and reduce risk for injuries. It will help ensure the well-being and functionality of astronauts during space exploration missions and guide the design of rehabilitation programs for astronauts after returning to the earth.”
This project is multidisciplinary, featuring co-PI Dr. Steven Elmer to provide holistic expertise in a project’s scope that includes human biomechanics, dynamics, control theory, and machine learning. The project will employ one graduate student and several undergraduate students to support its outcomes.