Seminar: Toward Generalizable Dexterity for Robotic Manipulation, Dr. Kunpeng Yao, University of Leeds

Abstract: As robots become more integrated into daily life, they are expected to take on increasingly complex tasks in scenarios ranging from homes to industrial workplaces. A key challenge is enabling them to handle objects with the same dexterity and adaptability as humans. In this talk, I will share how my research draws inspiration from human motor skills to improve robotic manipulation. I’ll begin with insights from studying expert human tasks—such as fine assembly work—that reveal how people simplify control by coordinating their hands in efficient and flexible ways. Building on these findings, I’ve developed new approaches that enable robots to grasp and manipulate multiple objects, explore unknown shapes through touch, and adapt to changing conditions in real time. These methods aim to make robots more versatile and capable of operating in unknown environments. I will conclude with a brief discussion on the future steps toward enabling robots to learn and reuse manipulation skills across different tasks, environments, and platforms, achieving scalable and generalizable robotic dexterity.

Bio: Kunpeng Yao is currently a Lecturer in Robotics at the School of Computer Science. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Newman Laboratory for Biomechanics and Human Rehabilitation, MIT, United States, before joining the University of Leeds. He received a Ph.D. degree in Robotics, Control, and Intelligent Systems from the Learning Algorithms and Systems Laboratory, EPFL, Switzerland, in 2022; an M.Sc. degree from the Technical University of Munich, Germany; and a B.Sc. degree from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China. His research spans robotic grasping, dexterous manipulation, task and motion planning, and tactile sensing, particularly focusing on enhancing robotic dexterity in complex environments. He has published in leading venues such as IEEE T-RO, RA-L, and IJRR, and has been recognized with the SNSF Postdoc.Mobility Fellowship, DAAD AInet Fellowship, and nominations for the EPFL PhD Distinction and the Ville de Lausanne Award.