Two faculty members from Stony Brook University's Department of Mechanical Engineering, Jeff Ge and Shikui Chen, have been recognized by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) for their contributions to research in mechanical engineering.
Scott Carney, professor and chair of the department, commented on the recognition: “When one Mechanical Engineering professor and their students are recognized for a great conference paper, it’s an indicator of a great mentor and brilliant students. When two professors are so recognized it’s a pattern of commitment to advising and mentoring endemic to the department. I’m proud to work with Jeff Ge and Shikui Chen and happy to see them so honored.”
Jeff Ge received the A.T. Yang Memorial Award for Theoretical Kinematics for the second time. The award is given for the best paper presented at ASME’s Annual Symposium on Theoretical Kinematics. It was established by the family of Professor A.T. Yang from UC Davis to honor his legacy in mechanical engineering.
Ge's award-winning paper was co-authored with Huan Liu, his PhD student, and Mark Langer from Indiana University. Their research builds upon previous work supported by an NIH grant. The team developed a concept called a "kinematic hull," which models all possible positions an object can take as it moves by assembling simple geometric shapes into a 3D envelope that closely fits its motion path.
“This award reinforces the importance of advancing theoretical kinematics, which lays the foundation for innovations in fields such as robotics, mechanical design, and radiotherapy,” said Liu. “It is exciting to see our work acknowledged by the broader community.”
Ge highlighted collaboration in his success: “This recognition is very much the result of collaboration,” he said. “I would like to acknowledge the support of NIH that was provided in the past.” He also stated: “I’m honored and humbled to receive this award.”
The practical applications of this research include smoother movement in robots and more precise targeting in cancer treatments through improved modeling of how tumors move within the body.
Shikui Chen received the Compliant Mechanisms Award for his team's paper on compliant mechanisms theory and application—his second time earning this distinction since 2007 when he was a PhD student. His collaborators Ran Zhuang, Chander Sadasivan, and Xianfeng David Gu were also honored.
“We humbly think it is a great honor,” said Chen. “The last time I received this award was in 2007 when I was a PhD student. Now receiving the award 18 years later as a faculty, it is a great honor to be recognized by the society.”
The Compliant Mechanisms Award recognizes outstanding papers presented at ASME conferences focused on compliant mechanisms—a field dedicated to flexible structures capable of complex motion without traditional joints or hinges—and includes both theoretical advances and practical applications.
Ran Zhuang expressed gratitude: “I sincerely thank our department for its strong research support and Professor Chen for his insightful guidance.”
Chen's team introduced a new method for designing structures made from hyperelastic materials—rubber-like substances known for their ability to stretch significantly before returning to shape—by capturing more complex bending behaviors than previous models allowed. This method was tested on standard problems before being used to create a displacement inverter—a mechanism that translates movement from one direction into another with high precision.
“We are trying to push the research toward the generative design of soft robots to make designs not rely on the designers’ intuition, experience and inspiration,” said Chen. “We’re trying to turn soft robot design from an art into a science.”
The development could influence various industries requiring controlled movement, including robotics, flexible tooling, and medical device manufacturing.