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Tag: National Central University

NCU Team Develops High-Stability Robotic Arm

Posted on by NCUSEC

As smart manufacturing and automation technologies continue to advance rapidly, robotic arms have become indispensable in modern industry and technological applications. A research team led by Associate Professor Jim-Wei Wu from the Department of Electrical Engineering at National Central University (NCU) has successfully integrated reinforcement learning with classical and advanced control techniques to develop a highly stable and disturbance-resilient robotic arm. This innovation significantly enhances operational precision and, backed by solid theoretical foundations and research originality, has been published in the leading international journal IEEE Transactions on Cybernetics.

The proposed control method does not rely heavily on precise mathematical models. Even under environmental uncertainty or significant variations in system load, the system maintains robust control performance. This design greatly improves the adaptability and stability of robotic arms. In addition, the team introduced a novel disturbance observer design framework that overcomes the limitations of conventional approaches, which typically handle only limited types of disturbances. The new framework enables faster and more accurate responses to sudden or dynamic disturbances, further enhancing control precision and system stability while reducing dependence on complex sensing and computational resources.

Furthermore, the system incorporates an Actor–Critic artificial intelligence architecture, allowing it to simultaneously learn how to evaluate control performance and generate optimal control strategies. By integrating classical control principles as an initial foundation, the approach significantly reduces the need for extensive parameter tuning in practical applications. This result makes the system easier to design and enables it to reach stable operation more rapidly, laying a critical foundation for the future development of highly autonomous robotic systems. 

NCU Finds 37 Subglacial Lakes in Arctic

Posted on by NCUSEC

Assistant Professor Whyjay Zheng of the Center for Space and Remote Sensing Research at National Central University, who also holds an appointment at the Taiwan Polar Institute, recently published a study in The Cryosphere. Using multi-year satellite observations, the team identified multiple active subglacial lakes beneath glaciers in the Canadian Arctic, providing critical insights into subglacial hydrological systems and glacier dynamics.

By analyzing high-resolution ice surface elevation data from 2011 to 2021, the researchers tracked subtle temporal changes in ice surface height and successfully identified 37 subglacial lakes, of which 35 were newly discovered.

In addition to Assistant Professor Whyjay Zheng, the research team includes Associate Professor Wesley Van Wychen from the University of Waterloo, Researcher Tian Li from the University of Bristol, and Researcher Tsutomu Yamanokuchi from Remote Sensing Technology Center of Japan. Assistant Professor Whyjay Zheng led the study by proposing the research concept, integrating datasets, and facilitating the formation of this international research collaboration.

Assistant Professor Whyjay Zheng explained that when subglacial lakes accumulate water, the ice surface gradually uplifts; when water drains, the ice surface subsides. Through long-term satellite altimetry time series and statistical analysis, the researchers were able to monitor the filling and drainage cycles of these lakes, thereby estimating their locations, extents, and activity cycles. The findings not only confirm the existence of more subglacial lakes but also suggest that their activity is correlated with the annual ice mass loss of glaciers in the Canadian Arctic.

For more details, please refer to the article in The Cryosphere:

https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-1699-2026

NCU Confirms a Superluminous Supernova

Posted on by NCUSEC

In this international collaboration, the NCU team played a central role in key observing and data-analysis efforts, providing crucial data to confirm this rare strongly gravitationally lensed supernova system. Assistant Professor Ting-Wan Chen’s team used the Lulin One-meter Telescope (LOT) for image confirmation and photometric monitoring. She noted that on nights with good weather and excellent seeing, LOT images can even resolve the individual lensed images of SN Winny, providing key observational constraints for the photometric analysis and lens modeling.

Postdoctoral researcher Dr. Amar Aryan analyzed r-band imaging from the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) and identified an additional transient point source near the previously reported multiple images. He reported it via a Transient Name Server AstroNote as a possible fifth lensed image. Using the positions of all five copies, Leon Ecker and Allan Schweinfurth et al., built the first model of the lens mass distribution. On the data-processing side, the DETECT tool developed by graduate student Yu-Hsing Lee independently flagged this bright transient through routine cross-matching between newly discovered transients and Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) galaxy data. This substantially improves candidate-identification efficiency and rapid follow-up capability, providing a robust basis for precise measurements of the time delays between the multiple images.

Assistant Professor Ting-Wan Chen explained that gravitational lensing is like a natural magnifying glass in the universe: it bends the light from the same background object along multiple paths, allowing us to see several “duplicate” images. Because each light path travels a different distance and experiences a different amount of gravitational bending, the light reaches Earth at different times, so the images can brighten at different moments. By precisely measuring these time delays between the multiple images and combining them with a mass-distribution model of the lensing galaxy, the team can constrain cosmological distances and key parameters of the Universe’s expansion, such as the Hubble constant. First author of the paper Dr. Stefan Taubenberger added that, unlike the cosmic distance ladder, this is a one-step method, with fewer and completely different sources of systematic uncertainty, helping to clarify the long-standing Hubble tension.

For further details, please refer to the articles published/submitted in Astronomy & Astrophysics at:

Taubenberger et al.: https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.21694

Ecker, Schweinfurth et al: http://arxiv.org/abs/2602.16620

Building a Resilient and Sustainable City: NCU and Taoyuan City Government Join Forces on “Environmental Governance and Smart Disaster Prevention”

Posted on by Editorial Team

In response to the growing challenges of climate change and increasing risks of extreme disasters, National Central University (NCU) and the Taoyuan City Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on August 13 for cooperation in “Environmental Governance and Smart Disaster Prevention.” Through the integration of advanced meteorological observation technologies, intelligent disaster prevention systems, and the combined strengths of administrative and academic resources, the partnership aims to create a smart city that embodies both technological resilience and environmental sustainability.
The signing ceremony was jointly attended by President Dr. Shu-San Hsiau, National Central University and Taoyuan City Mayor San-Cheng Chang. The collaboration focuses on 2 key areas: “Environmental Governance” and “Smart Disaster Prevention.” Leveraging NCU’s expertise in remote sensing technology, intelligent monitoring, and data analytics, the partnership will introduce advanced technologies into municipal management to strengthen pollution control and disaster early warning systems—addressing the increasingly severe challenges posed by climate change.
In the area of Environmental Governance, the two parties will promote environmental monitoring and forecasting systems, develop pollution control strategies, and work toward achieving net-zero carbon emissions. In terms of Smart Disaster Prevention, the collaboration will utilize information and communication technologies, meteorological radar, and other remote sensing tools—combined with big data analytics—to enhance real-time response capabilities to natural disasters. Through partnership with academic sector, the Taoyuan City Government aims to establish a governance model characterized by resilience, intelligence, and forward-looking vision.
As the leading university in Taoyuan, National Central University (NCU) has long been dedicated to the city’s sustainable development. NCU has established strong research capabilities in areas related to environment and extreme weather, continually advancing innovative scientific technologies through cutting-edge remote sensing, data analytics, and numerical modeling. By signing this MOU with Taoyuan City Government, NCU seeks to translate academic research into practical, localized applications—fulfilling its social responsibility as a university, supporting the city government in building a sustainable and livable community, and bringing long-term benefits to its citizens.
Taoyuan City Government stated that the signing of this MOU is not only a significant symbol of collaboration between administrative and academic sectors, but also a key step toward establishing a new paradigm for smart environmental governance and disaster prevention in Taoyuan. Moving forward, both parties will continue to deepen their partnership and jointly pursue the core vision of “using technology to protect the environment and smart solutions to enhance disaster resilience,” creating a safe, sustainable, and livable environment for all citizens.