Yan Zhang | 张艳

Yan Zhang | 张艳

Beihang University

About Me

I am a "Distinguished Hundred Talents" postdoctoral fellow at Beihang University. My research focuses on key issues in respiratory exoskeleton robots, including bionic mechanisms, variable-stiffness and variable-configuration design, and human-in-the-loop control. I have published 6 SCI papers as the first author or corresponding author, including high-level papers in IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering (IEEE TBME, a Q1 journal in the biomedical engineering field) and IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering (2) (IEEE TNSRE, a Q1 journal in the rehabilitation field). My doctoral dissertation was awarded the 2025 Doctoral Dissertation Incentive Program by the Technical Committee on Intelligent Robots of the China Computer Federation. Relevant achievements were invited for a presentation at the Youth Forum of the 2025 China Haptic Technology and Application Conference(ranked 3rd out of 80 participants).

Doctoral Supervisor: Dangxiao Wang

Professor Wang Dangxiao is a doctoral supervisor at Beihang University and Deputy Director of the State Key Laboratory of Virtual Reality Technology and Systems. He is also the Chief Scientist of a National Key Research and Development Program project. He has previously served as Chair of the IEEE Technical Committee on Haptics, Chair of AsiaHaptics 2022, and Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Haptics (IEEE TOH). His research areas include medical rehabilitation robots, haptic human-computer interaction, and brain-computer interface technology. Professor Wang has published more than 50 papers in IEEE Transactions journals as the first or corresponding author, including 25 papers in IEEE Transactions on Haptics (a top journal in the haptics field) as the first/corresponding author (ranked 5th globally in terms of author order in the Web of Science database).

Achievements

Prototype
Respiratory exoskeleton prototypes



Three types of respiratory assist robotic devices were developed, and their efficacy was validated in five categories of patients with typical respiratory disorders (motor neuron injury, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cervical spinal cord injury, stroke, and traumatic respiratory failure). This research provides a hardware foundation and clinical experience for personalized optimization strategies involving human-in-the-loop for patients with various respiratory diseases.
Professor Roche Ellen from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Medical Engineering at MIT commented that the cardiopulmonary function assistive technology based on soft robots is promising to overcome the limitations of traditional ventilators.

Development of respiratory exoskeleton prototypes
To address the issue that clinical positive pressure ventilators do not fully align with physiological breathing mechanisms and are prone to causing lung injuries and alveolar collapse, we proposed a soft wearable robotic device that simulates human physiological breathing.
Bionic Design
Bionic muscle-driven variable-stiffness design



We achieved a breakthrough in fiber-reinforced double-layer casting technology and developed a high-output-force, high-folding-ratio soft actuator based on the Yoshimura tubular origami structure of Broussonetia papyrifera for expiratory assistance. The designed personalized portable exoskeleton system can effectively provide respiratory assistance to wearers in daily life scenarios and support the exploration of exoskeleton-assisted strategies during routine movements.

Bionic muscle-driven variable-stiffness design
The research team conducted preliminary studies on key technologies of respiratory assist devices, designing a variable-stiffness negative-pressure shell based on the layer-blocking variable-stiffness actuation principle, which can switch between rigid and soft states.
Control Strategy
Human-in-the-loop control strategies



By integrating a dual-chamber respiratory mechanics model with backstepping control, a biphasic control strategy for respiratory assist devices was proposed, enabling precise regulation of lung volume. Through flexible force tactile sensors and human-device interactive force compliance control, patient-ventilator asynchrony was effectively reduced. The previously developed exoskeleton testing platform allows rapid configuration of assistive modes and has high-precision control performance, providing technical support for real-time performance optimization and assistive mode efficacy evaluation of closed-loop exoskeleton systems.

Research on human-in-the-loop control strategies
A closed-loop control system for respiratory assist devices was established, and a model-based proportional controller was designed to achieve personalized parameter adjustment and closed-loop tracking of complex breathing signals.
Intention Perception
Multimodal respiratory intention perception



An IMU-based motion artifact removal method and a dynamic respiratory feature recognition algorithm were developed, achieving millisecond-level respiratory status monitoring and patient-ventilator synchrony triggering. Using diaphragm ultrasound for noninvasive monitoring of deep respiratory muscles, results showed that machine-assisted intervention significantly improved diaphragm mobility.These findings provide a solid foundation for personalized respiratory profiling, respiratory status assessment, and real-time clinical efficacy evaluation across diverse diseases and individuals.

Multimodal respiratory intention perception
A multimodal intention decoding framework was proposed based on the respiratory nerve-muscle-skeleton-airflow conduction mechanism.

Principal Investigator

I have presided over and participated in a number of national, provincial and horizontal research projects, mainly focusing on wearable respiratory assistive robots, bionic soft exoskeletons and human-in-the-loop control technology. Relevant project information is listed as follows:
  • Human-Machine Integrated Cardiopulmonary Assistive Wearable Robot
    Source: National Key R&D Program of China, Key Project on "Intelligent Robotics"
    Duration: Jan 2025 – Dec 2027
    Role: Key Participant
  • Bio-Inspired Cough Mechanism-Based Assistive Expectorating Soft Exoskeleton Robot
    Source: General Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)
    Duration: Jan 2022 – Dec 2025
    Role: Key Participant
  • Research on Respiratory Enhancement Training Technology Based on Thoraco-Abdominal Pressure-Assisted Regulation
    Source: [Blinded] Project
    Duration: Jun 2023 – Jun 2025
    Role: Key Participant
  • Neural Decoding and Adaptive Control Mechanism of Voluntary Respiratory Engagement in VR Environments
    Source: Independent Project of the State Key Laboratory of Virtual Reality Technology and Systems
    Duration: Jan 2022 – Dec 2023
    Role: Key Participant
  • Tactile Feedback Glove
    Source: Huawei Collaborative Project
    Duration: Jan 2021 – Dec 2021
    Role: Participant

Published Essays

  1. Yan Zhang, Xue Dinghao, Zhang B, Shi Mai, Nan Xiaolu, Zhang Yuru, Ge Qinggang, Zhang Zongyu, Wang Yuxing, Feng Yanggang and Wang Dangxiao. A systematic review of soft respiratory exoskeletons: assistance mechanisms, system architectures, and key technologies in IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, 2026, 34:1869-1884.
  2. Yan Zhang, Qinggang Ge, Zongyu Wang, Yuxing Qin, Yixing Wu, Mingjing Wang, Mai Shi, Lei Xue, Weidong Guo, Yuru Zhang, Guangyu Wang, and Dangxiao Wang. Extracorporeal closed-loop respiratory regulation for patients with respiratory difficulty using a soft bionic robot in IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 2024. (SCI, Q1, IF: 4.6)
  3. Yan Zhang, Danye Li, Fengyao Zhang, Zongyu Wang, Lei Xue, Xiaolu Nan, Nianming Li, Xilai Tan, Weidong Guo, Yuru Zhang, Hongmei Zhao, Qinggang Ge, Dangxiao Wang. Evaluation and modeling of diaphragm displacement using ultrasound imaging for wearable respiratory assistive robot in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology. (SCI, Q1, IF: 4.3)
  4. Yan Zhang, Ziqi Wang, Qinggang Ge, Zongyu Wang, Xiangjie Zhou, Shaohang Han, Yuru Zhang, Dangxiao Wang. Soft exoskeleton mimics human cough for assisting the expectoration capability of SCI patients in IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, 2022. (SCI, Q1, IF: 4.9, Co-first Author)
  5. Wenzhuo Zhi, Wei Zhao, Yan Zhang, Enming Shi, Yangfan Zhou, Bi Zhang. Thoraco-abdominal biomechanical model and dual-layer control method for soft robotic system with application to respiratory assistance in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology. (Corresponding Author, SCI, Q1, IF: 4.3)
  6. Yue Wang, Yan Zhang, Qinggang Ge, Yaoxi Zhang, Zongyu Wang, Weidong Guo, Yuru Zhang, Yuhui Wang, and Dangxiao Wang. Voluntary respiration control: signature analysis by EEG in IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, 2023. (SCI, Q1, IF: 4.9)
  7. Zemin Wang, Yan Zhang, Dongjie Zhao, Ruibo He, Yuru Zhang, and Dangxiao Wang. Perceptually inspired C0-continuity haptic shape display with trichamber soft actuators in Soft Robotics, 2023. (SCI, Q1, IF: 6.4)
  8. Xilai Tan, Yan Zhang, Bin Zhao, Xiaolu Nan, Yuru Zhang, and Dangxiao Wang. A vibrotactile belt for interpersonal synchronization of breath in 6th International Conference AsiaHaptics 2024, 2024. (Conference Paper)
  9. Ziqi Wang, Xiangjie Zhou, Zejian Zhou, Yan Zhang, Yuru Zhang, and Dangxiao Wang. MateJam: Multi-material teeth-clutching layer jamming actuation for soft haptic glove in IEEE Transactions on Haptics, 2023. (SCI, Q2, IF: 2.4)
  10. Yan Zhang, Li H, Qin X, et al. Analysis of vibration response and machining quality of hybrid robot based UD-CFRP trimming in Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part B: Journal of Engineering Manufacture, 2021, 235(6-7): 974-986. (First Author)

Collaborators

Below are the core students and faculty collaborators from our team. You are welcome to reach out to them for potential collaborations. Interns are not listed here—however, we warmly welcome motivated individuals to join us!

Faculty

  • Bi Zhang, Shenyang Institute of Automation — Rehabilitation Exoskeleton Robot
  • Xiao Zhang, Tianjin University — Origami Engineering
  • Yanggang Feng, Beihang University — Wearable Robot
  • Guotao Li, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) — Exoskeleton Robot

    • Doctor

  • Qinggang Ge, Zongyu Wang, Mai Shi, Lei Xue, Peking University Third Hospital — Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
  • Shu Li, Peking University People’s Hospital — Respiratory Function in Trauma Patients
  • Dan Huang, Xiaotangshan Hospital — Hypoxic Respiration
  • Xiaoxuan Liu, Peking University Third Hospital — ALS

    • News

    • 2026-05-26: Our wearable variable-stiffness textile with three-dimensional bistable structures based on bionic respiratory sensing won the Second Prize in the Fengru Cup Competition of Beihang University. Congratulations to Zhao Yingheng and other students.
    • 2022: Our respiratory assistive robot technology was included in the China Rehabilitation Medicine Report 2022 as the only selected technology in the respiratory assistive robot category.