News

The lab received two awards in the College & Youth Innovation category (大專暨青創組) at the 2026 Bionic Design Competition (仿生設計競賽). The mudskipper-inspired design received the Marine Sustainability Innovation Award (海洋永續創新獎) from the Ocean Conservation Administration, Ocean Affairs Council, while the silkmoth-inspired robot, drawing on the silkmoth’s odour-sensing abilities, received the Circular Economy Smart Reduction Award (循環經濟智慧減量獎) from the Environmental Protection Department, New Taipei City Government.

The lab’s silk moth-inspired robot placed fifth in the Biomimetic Robotics category at the 2026 Bionic Design Competition (仿生設計競賽). Inspired by the silkmoth’s odour-sensing abilities, the robot explores bio-inspired approaches to robotic sensing.

Two student teams from the lab received Honourable Mentions (佳作) at the College of Engineering Undergraduate Research Project Competition (專題研究成果競賽), with projects on an underwater bio-inspired stingray vehicle and a maple-seed-inspired unmanned aerial vehicle.

Two undergraduate teams from the laboratory shared First Place in the Engineering Technology category at the National University System of Taiwan (NUST, 臺灣國立大學系統) Scientific Paper Competition (科技論文競賽), with projects inspired by stingrays and maple seeds. A postgraduate team also received an Honorable Mention Award (佳作) for its dragonfly-inspired drone research.

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