VinUni Biorobotics Lab

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Our Lab

The VinUni Biorobotics Lab specializes in soft robotics, advanced surgical systems, in-situ 3D printing, rehabilitation, and soft wearable haptics. The lab focuses on developing cost-effective and effective technologies aimed at improving human quality of life, particularly in developing countries such as Vietnam. Research areas also include medical devices, embedded systems, and nonlinear control, emphasizing practical applications in healthcare and related fields.

News and Events

  • December 2025: D. A. K. To and M. T. Thai’s paper, “Hydraulic Soft Gripper for Human-Safe Manipulation: Design, Modeling, and Validation,” was presented at the 5th Robotics, Automation, and Artificial Intelligence (RAAI 2025) conference and received the Best Presentation Award.
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  • December 2025: M. T. Thai’s paper, “Securing Innovation in Wearable Filament Sensor Networks for Patient Rehabilitation,” received the Promising Paper Award at the Open Innovation Conference 2025.
  • December 2025: The partnership between CECS VinUni and Graphicsminer Vietnam provides the VinUni Bio-robotics Lab with high-performance cloud GPU infrastructure and advanced AI training support, significantly strengthening the Lab’s ability to conduct cutting-edge research in haptics, physical AI, and human-robot interaction, while further empowering CECS’s mission to advance innovative, AI-driven engineering solutions.
  • November 2025: A new paper led by Nhu An Phan has been published in Advanced Intelligent Systems (Q1, Impact Factor: 7.298). Titled “Modeling and Characterization of a Self-Sensing Soft Hydraulic Muscle,” the study presents advanced modeling and experimental validation of self-sensing soft hydraulic actuators, contributing to the development of intelligent soft robotic systems.
  • October 2025: Our project, “Next-Gen Robotics: Bridging Technology, Health, and Sustainability,” has been awarded funding under the UQ Global Partnerships 2025 Round Two scheme. This initiative establishes a strategic robotics alliance between UQVinUniversityHCMUTInternational University (VNU-HCM), and VinMotion. The project will host bilateral symposia at VinUniversity (Jan 2026) and UQ (July 2026), focusing on humanoid, biorobotics, and field robotics for health, sustainability, and infrastructure resilience.
  • October 2025: Prof. Thanh received the Top 20 National Outstanding Young Scientist Award (Golden Globe) in Science and Technology, Vietnam
  • October 2025: Big congratulations to Dong Anh Khoa To! His poster has been chosen as a finalist for the Best Poster Award at the IROS 2025 Workshop on Bioinspired and Biohybrid (Cyborg) Systems, and he has also received both a student grant and a CECS Student Research Grant Program 2 award!
  • August 2025: The VinUni Biorobotics Lab has been awarded the SVI Seed Grant 2025 from the University of Sydney Vietnam Institute (SVI) for the research project titled, “Knowledge-informed AI Forecasting for Water Quality in Vietnam’s Sustainable Aquaculture” in collaboration with the University of Sydney and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation.
  • June 2025: The VinUni Biorobotics Lab has been awarded the prestigious VinUni Critical Grant for their project, “Development of a Therapeutic Hybrid Exoskeleton Glove for Enhanced Post-Stroke Hand Rehabilitation.”
  • December 2024: Dr. Mai Thanh Thai was honored with the Outstanding Instructor in Teaching award for the Academic Year 2023–2024 by the College of Engineering and Computer Science at VinUniversity.
  • November 2024: The VinUni Biorobotics Lab is thrilled to welcome Mr. Sy Trung Ngo as its second PhD student, proudly supported by a full scholarship from VinUni-Illinois Smart Health Center (VISHC).
  • August 2024: The VinUni Biorobotics Lab is pleased to welcome Mr. Minh Tri Phan as its first PhD student with a full scholarship from the VinUni-Illinois Smart Health Center (VISHC).
  • July 2024: The VinUni Biorobotics Lab has been awarded the VinUni Fast Track Grant for their innovative project titled “A Soft Filament Sensor with Wireless Human-Computer Interface for Rehabilitation.”
  • April 2024: Dr. Thai Mai Thanh was a Speaker at the 2nd International Conference on 3D Technology in Medicine held at VinUniversity on April 5–6, 2024. He delivered a presentation on the application of 3D bioprinting in soft robotic surgical systems, highlighting advanced solutions for modern clinical practice.
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  • January 2024: The VinUni Biorobotics Lab received the VinUni-Illinois Smart Health Center (VISHC) award for their proposal, “Accelerating Patient Rehabilitation via Wearable Filament Sensor Networks.” This grant, part of VISHC’s 10-year funding cycle through 2032, will support up to 5 Ph.D. students and 1 postdoc.
  • November 2023: The VinUni Biorobotics Lab was established by Dr. Thai and a group of VinUni undergraduate students.
  • September 2023: Dr. Mai Thanh Thai began his role as Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the College of Engineering and Computer Science, VinUniversity.
  • July 2023: Dr. Mai Thanh Thai received “Best Poster Award” at the “Bio-inspired, Biomimetics, and Biohybrid (Cyborg) Systems” Workshop, EMBC, Sydney, 2023.