Scholars from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) continue to gain recognition on the international research stage. Prof. Pai ZHENG, Wong Tit Shing Young Scholar in Smart Robotics and Associate Professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, has been elected a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the engineering profession and the Society.
Founded in 1880, ASME is a not‑for‑profit professional organisation that fosters collaboration, knowledge sharing and skill development across engineering disciplines, while promoting the vital role of engineers in society. The ASME Fellow is a distinction awarded to ASME members for their exceptional engineering achievements.
Prof. Zheng has long been dedicated to advancing mutual cognitive human-robot collaborative manufacturing systems (MC-HRCMS). New knowledge and technologies have been created, including 1) Development of a multimodal-based natural human-robot interaction mechanism through the vision-language-tactile model; 2) Introduction of an efficient human-to-robot learning and policy generation strategy by advanced MR and DT technologies; and 3) A foundation model-based NoCode solution package for onsite robotic operations. These innovative features can collectively boost operational efficiency, enhance worker experience, and democratize advanced manufacturing capabilities, making the MC-HRCMS ideal for futuristic human-centric smart manufacturing.
Moreover, his RAIDS team has co-founded the CobotAI Limited, which recently introduced a novel multimodal human-robot interaction and data acquisition solution, TeleX, for industrial embodied intelligence and robot learning. TeleX is a smart, open platform that helps robots learn directly from human actions. It acts like a “super recorder” for human–robot interaction, capturing how people move, see, and feel objects during complex tasks. It combines precise motion tracking, visual sensing, and touch‑ sensitive “robot hands” to synchronously collect multimodal human operation data in complex manipulation scenarios. TeleX has already been tested in various industrial scenarios on human–robot teamwork, imitation learning, teleoperation, and precision assembly. Industry partners such as COMAC, AVIC and COSMO use it to collect large amounts of real human operation data, helping robots learn how to effectively learn from human demonstrations and self-execute physical skills accurately.
Prof. Zheng has published over 150 top-tier journal publications, received multiple best paper awards, secured 9 inventive patents, and earned accolades, including the NSFC Excellent Young Scientists Fund, the SME Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award, Baidu’s Top 50 AI+X Chinese Scholars, and the HKIE Young Engineer of the Year Award 2025.
Learn more about Prof. Zheng’s research achievements:
- PolyU builds advanced human-robot collaboration system, empowering high-end manufacturing tasks
- PolyU researcher honored with Young Engineer of the Year Award 2025 for smart robotics innovation
- PolyU project develops a Vision-Language Models for driving assistant, supported by Smart Traffic Fund
- PolyU young scholar receives SME Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award
