Keynote Speaker

Prof. Makoto Iwasaki
Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan

Bio: Makoto Iwasaki received his B.S., M.S., and Dr. Eng. degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Nagoya Institute of Technology (NIT), Japan, in 1986, 1988, and 1991, respectively. He served as Vice President of NIT from 2024 to 2025 and is currently a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering.
Professor Iwasaki has been an active leader in the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society (IES), holding several prominent positions, including Chair of the IES Fellow Evaluation Committee (2022–2023), Co-Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics (2016–2022), and Vice President for Planning and Development (2018–2021). He was elevated to IEEE Fellow in 2015 for his contributions to fast and precise positioning in motion control systems. He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan (IEEJ) and a member of the Science Council of Japan.
He has received numerous distinguished awards from academic societies, foundations, and government agencies, including Best Paper and Technical Awards from the IEEJ, the Nagamori Award, the Ichimura Prize, and the Commendation for Science and Technology from the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan. He was also recognized among the World’s Top 2% Scientists (2024) by Stanford University and Elsevier.
His research interests include advanced control theory, precision positioning, and intelligent motion control, with a strong emphasis on linear and nonlinear system modeling and close collaboration with industry.

Speech Title: High Trajectory Tracking Performance of Industrial Robots by Iterative Learning Control

Abstract: Fast-response and high-precision motion control is an indispensable technology in a wide range of high-performance mechatronic systems, including micro- and nano-scale applications such as data storage devices, machine tools, electronic manufacturing equipment, and industrial robots. From the perspectives of productivity, product quality, and cost efficiency, these systems require practical motion performance specifications, including fast response, short settling time, and high trajectory accuracy. In addition to these performance requirements, practical systems must ensure robustness against disturbances and uncertainties, effective suppression of mechanical vibrations, and adaptability to variations in system dynamics. Achieving these properties simultaneously remains a significant challenge, particularly in multi-axis robotic systems.
This keynote presents an approach to enhancing trajectory tracking performance in multi-axis robot manipulators through the application of Iterative Learning Control (ILC). The talk first identifies key practical challenges in robot trajectory control and then introduces a systematic controller design framework based on ILC, including stability analysis and implementation considerations. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated through experimental results on an actual multi-axis industrial robot, highlighting its advantages over conventional tracking control approaches.

Prof. Wei-Hsin Liao
The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China

Bio: Wei-Hsin Liao received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, USA. At Penn State University, he received the Inventor Incentive Award and Sigma Xi Graduate Research Award. Since August 1997, Dr. Liao has been with The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), where he was Department Chairman of Mechanical and Automation Engineering from August 2018 to July 2024. His research has led to publications of over 400 technical papers in international journals and conference proceedings, and 27 patents. He was the Conference Chair for the 20th International Conference on Adaptive Structures and Technologies in 2009; the Active and Passive Smart Structures and Integrated Systems, SPIE Smart Structures/NDE in 2014 and 2015. He received the T A Stewart-Dyer/F H Trevithick Prize 2005, awarded by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). He is a recipient of the 2008 Best Paper Award in Structures, 2017 Best Paper Award in Mechanics and Material Systems, 2021 Energy Harvesting Best Paper Award, and 2023 Best Paper Award in Structures and Structural Dynamics, from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). At CUHK, Prof. Liao was awarded the Young Researcher Award 2007, the Research Excellence Award (2010-11), and Outstanding Fellow of the Faculty of Engineering (2014-19). As the Chair of Joint Chapter of Robotics, Automation and Control Systems Society (RACS), IEEE Hong Kong Section, Dr. Liao received 2012 Chapter of the Year Award from the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society. Prof. Liao is the recipient of 2020 ASME Adaptive Structures and Material Systems Award and 2018 SPIE SSM Lifetime Achievement Award, to recognize his outstanding contributions to the advancement of smart structures and materials. He is also the recipient of 2023 ASME Leonardo Da Vinci Award for the eminent achievement in the design and invention which are universally recognized as an important advance in machine design. He currently serves as an Associate Editor for Journal of Intelligent Material Systems and Structures, and on the Executive Editorial Board of Smart Materials and Structures. Dr. Liao is a Fellow of ASME, HKIE, and IOP.

Prof. Qingsong XU
University of Macau, China

Bio: Dr. Qingsong Xu is a Professor at the Department of Electromechanical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Macau, and Director of the Smart and Micro/Nano Systems Laboratory. He was a Visiting Scholar at Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), Switzerland; National University of Singapore, Singapore; RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia; and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), USA. His research involves intelligent micro/nanosystems, precision robotics, and biomedical applications. He has published four books and over 450 papers in international journals and conferences, cited over 16000 times in Google Scholar with an H-index of 70. He currently serves as an Editor-in-Chief of Advanced Mechatronics. He was a Technical Editor of IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics (T-MECH) and an Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Robotics (T-RO), IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering (T-ASE), and IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L). Prof. Xu has received more than a dozen best paper awards from international conferences and multiple times of Macao Science and Technology Awards from Macao SAR, China. He has been selected into the top 2% of the world's top scientists released by Stanford University since 2019. He is a Fellow of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Fellow of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and Fellow of the Asia-Pacific Artificial Intelligence Association (AAIA).  

Prof. Zaharuddin Mohamed
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia

Bio: Zaharuddin Mohamed received the B.Eng. degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia in 1993. He received the M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Sheffield, United Kingdom (UK) in Control Systems Engineering in 1995 and 2003 respectively. He is currently a Professor at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia. His research interest includes control of mechatronic systems, robotics, mechatronics and vibration control. He has published more than 100 journal articles.  He serves as an Editor-in-Chief of Applications of Modelling and Simulation journal, Associate Editors of ISA Transactions, and Associate Editor/Editorial Board Members of several other journals. He is currently Vice President of ASIASIM Federation and an Executive Board Member of the International Society of Mechanical System Dynamics.