> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://x.ancorasir.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://x.ancorasir.com/bionicdl/welcome.md). # Welcome Starting in November 2025, I was appointed [Associate Professor of Robotics](https://mbzuai.ac.ae/study/faculty/chaoyang-song/) in the Division of Computing and Mathematical Sciences at [Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI)](https://mbzuai.ac.ae/) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). I lead collaborative research at the [Design and Learning Research Group](https://ancorasir.com/), focusing on interdisciplinary research in Bionic Systems, Robot Learning, and Design Science through the [Bionic Design and Learning Lab (BionicDL)](https://x.ancorasir.com/bionicdl). I completed my undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering at [Tongji University](https://en.tongji.edu.cn/p/), Shanghai, China, in 2009. I completed my Ph.D. in Mechanism & Robotics at the Robotics Research Center, [Nanyang Technological University](https://www.ntu.edu.sg/), Singapore, in 2014, under the supervision of [Prof. Yan Chen](https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=1Qp8i2oAAAAJ\&hl=zh-CN) and [Prof. I-Ming Chen](https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=OoIeD7IAAAAJ\&hl=en). My doctoral research focused on the theoretical kinematics of a class of overconstrained linkages, addressing fundamental mechanism theory in robotics and mechanical engineering. During my post-doc study, I joined the newly founded [Singapore University of Technology and Design](https://www.sutd.edu.sg/) and worked with [Prof. Kevin Otto](https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=aUIM1PwAAAAJ\&hl=en), [Prof. Katja Hölttä-Otto](https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=YgYGk14AAAAJ\&hl=en), and [Prof. Jianxi Luo](https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=pKCG3T8AAAAJ\&hl=en). My postdoctoral research focuses on the application end of research and development, investigating the technological and design innovation factors that successfully translate lab results into commercial products. I continued my post-doc research topic at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with [Prof. Warren Seering](https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=4ZckX2kAAAAJ\&hl=en). In 2015, I was appointed as a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at [Monash University](https://www.monash.edu/), where the Sustainable + Intelligent Robotics Group was initially formed. In 2018, I joined the [Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech)](https://www.sustech.edu.cn/en/) as an Assistant Professor of Robotics and an Adjunct Professor of Computer Science, and updated my lab to the Bionic Design + Learning Lab. Later, we joined with the [Machine Intelligence Design and Learning Lab](https://x.ancorasir.com/maindl) to form the Design and Learning Research Group. * songcy \[AT] ieee.org --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter: ``` GET https://x.ancorasir.com/bionicdl/welcome.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.