News

Dr Lan’s latest study collaborated with a veterinary science team to develop a machine learning method for rapid disease detection in companion animals. The research used serum biomarkers to support faster and minimally invasive screening.

For more information please refer to https://doi.org/10.1080/01652176.2026.2617470.

Dr Lan and departmental colleagues secured funding for a high-performance server platform to support AI-driven and data-intensive research across the university.

Under the guidance of Dr Lan, a team of three undergraduate students received the Infinite Potential Award (潛力無限獎) at the 2025 Innovation Arena (興創競技場), organised by the Startup @NCHU Innovation Center. The team developed a biomimetic rotary-wing unmanned aerial vehicle inspired by natural flight mechanisms, highlighting the practical potential of university-driven innovation and applied research.

Dr Lan received a Meritorious Research Award in the Young Scholars Innovation Competition organised by the Taiwan Comprehensive University System (臺灣綜合大學系統). His research combined biomimetic propulsion concepts with AI techniques to improve energy efficiency across aerial and aquatic environments, demonstrating the potential of nature-inspired multifunctional propulsion systems.

At this year’s CSME Conference, Qi-Sheng Huang received an Honourable Mention (佳作) in the student paper competition for research supervised by Dr Lan. The study applied the silkmoth’s tracking behaviour to robotic guidance and control, achieving improved efficiency and accuracy through a nature-inspired approach.

Three undergraduate students supervised by Dr Lan received an Honourable Mention（佳作）in the Capstone Project (機械設計與製作專題) competition. Their project explored a bio-inspired ray system, applying ray-like propulsion principles to demonstrate the potential of biomimetic design in underwater robotics.

A graduate student team supervised by Dr Lan, led by Yen-Cheng Chang alongside two fellow members, received a Merit Award (優等獎) in the National Intelligent Manufacturing Big Data Analytics Competition (IMBD, 全國智慧製造大數據分析競賽). Their project applied artificial intelligence and big data techniques to deliver innovative, data-driven solutions with strong analytical performance.

Ming-Han Wu, with co-author Yi-Hsi Yeh, supervised by Dr Lan, has secured third place in the Best Paper Award competition at the AASRC Conference. Their study examined how variations in wing phase shift affect thrust generation in a robotic dragonfly, offering insights that contribute to ongoing research in bio-inspired flight.

Two student teams supervised by Dr Lan received the Maker Potential Award (創客潜力獎) at the 2025 Makerthon – Technology Empowerment × Future-Making Competition (創客松-科技賦能x自造未來競賽). One team developed an aerial drone and the other a marine-inspired submersible vehicle, showcasing strong creativity and engineering capability.

Three undergraduates, supervised by Dr Lan, won 1st place at the 2025 Ocean Challenge (臺灣海洋國際青年論壇) with a manta ray-inspired underwater vehicle.

Under the guidance of Dr Lan, two student teams received awards at the 2025 Bionic Design Competition (仿生設計競賽) for their nature-inspired engineering projects. One team won a Merit Award (優選) for a bio-inspired stingray underwater vehicle, while the other received an Honourable Mention (佳作) for a butterfly-inspired micro air vehicle, highlighting the potential of biomimetic design for sustainable innovation.

Dr Lan and Dr Lai’s latest study, published in Physica D: Nonlinear Phenomena, introduces a hybrid decision tree approach that reduces flapping flight analysis time by up to 75% while maintaining high accuracy. The method supports faster aerodynamic research and more efficient micro air vehicle development.

For more information please refer to https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physd.2025.134618.

Dr Lan and his research team were recognised by the American Institute of Physics (AIP), with their latest study featured on the Kudos Showcase platform. The research found that stingray-inspired asymmetric flapping motions can improve thrust while reducing energy consumption, supporting the development of more efficient underwater vehicles and robots.

Dr Lan has been honoured with the Outstanding Reviewer Award 2024, a prestigious accolade recognising his significant contributions to academic research. Congratulations!

Under the guidance of Dr Lan, a team of four students received the Infinite Potential Award (潛力無限獎) in the Creative Concept category at the 2024 Innovation Arena (興創競技場). Organised by the University’s Centre for Industry-Academia Collaboration, the competition promotes the translation of academic research and innovative ideas into practical industry applications.

Dr Lan’s students, Hsing-Yun Huang and Thanh Kim Hua, received Honourable Mentions (佳作) at the CSME Student Paper Competition for their research achievements. Their awards recognise innovative research contributions and reflect the strong academic mentorship within Dr Lan’s team.

Dr Lan recently chaired a symposium at the 27th International Congress of Entomology in Kyoto, where his research team presented three studies on insect flight aerodynamics. The work attracted strong interest from the international entomological research community.

Dr Lan has been honoured with the IOP Trusted Reviewer Status, a prestigious accolade recognising his significant contributions to peer review. Congratulations!

Dr Lan was featured in Issue 75 of the Newsletter of the Programme in Aeronautics & Astronautics and Thermal Science & Fluid Dynamics, highlighting his research at the AI-Lab. The feature recognised his contributions to aeronautics and machine learning research.

After presenting preliminary odour-tracking research at the 40th CSME Conference in Changhua, Dr Lan and lab members Kim Thanh Hua and Hsing-Yun Huang exchanged ideas with researchers from multiple universities. The discussions on biomimetics and related topics further broadened their academic perspectives.

At the 65th AASRC Conference in Taichung, Dr Lan and his master’s student, Ching-Chan Huang, presented early research into the interaction between two separate flapping wings. This preliminary work contributes to comprehending the flight mechanisms in insect groups.

At the 11th International Conference on Advanced Robotics and Intelligent Systems (ARIS 2023) in Taipei, Dr Lan and Dr Yu-Hsiang Lai presented research on butterfly-inspired robots. The study advances understanding of biological flight mechanisms and supports future unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) development.

In a recent interview with the Ministry of Education, Dr Lan discussed the cross-disciplinary research at the Enable Center founded by Professor Charles W. Tu. The interview highlighted a collaborative project with Dr Ching-Wen Tan that combined entomology and mechanical engineering through an innovative biomimetic approach.

The Mechanical Project Exhibition returned on 17 June at National Cheng Kung University, with 39 student teams presenting project-based engineering work. The exhibition highlighted the integration of mechanical engineering theory, creativity and collaborative innovation.

Dr Lan and his team presented research on aerodynamics and odour tracking at the 11th International Symposium on Adaptive Motion of Animals and Machines (AMAM) in Kobe. Their work contributed new insights into the interaction between animal locomotion and engineering technology.

Dr Lan delivers an inspiring speech on the application of odour sensing at National Defense University.

Dr Lan gives a speech entitled ‘Machine Learning in Flapping Flight Transient Acceleration Modelling’ at CSME 2022.