Prof. Chen Receives ASME 2025 Compliant Mechanisms Award
Professor Shikui Chen and co-authors Ran Zhuang, Chander Sadasivan, and Xianfeng David Gu have been awarded
the ASME 2025 Compliant Mechanisms Award at the International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and Information
in Engineering Conference (IDETC/CIE) in Anaheim, California.
ASME annually presents two Compliant Mechanisms Awards to recognize the most outstanding papers in the field—one honoring theoretical contributions and the other highlighting practical advances. This marks Professor Chen’s second time receiving this award, having first earned it in 2007 as a Ph.D. student.
Reflecting on the achievement, Professor Chen said, “The last time I received this award was in 2007 when I was a Ph.D. student. Receiving it again 18 years later feels like completing a full circle and returning to the starting point. It is a great honor to be recognized by the community once again.”
The award-winning paper, “Level-Set Nonlinear Topology Optimization for Large-Deformation Compliant Mechanisms with Hyperelastic Materials,” introduces an advanced computational framework for designing compliant structures that undergo large, reversible deformations. The work deepens the fundamental understanding of hyperelastic materials and enables new capabilities for applications such as medical devices, flexible tools, and soft robotic systems.
As Professor Chen notes, “We’re working to transform soft-robot design from an art into a science.”