![Xintong Yang](https://profiles-cardiff.imgix.net/attachments/3533?w=200&h=200&auto=format&crop=faces&fit=crop&q=90")
Mr Xintong Yang
Teams and roles for Xintong Yang
Post-Doctoral Research Associate
Post Doctoral Research Associate
Overview
I’m a research associate (postdoc) in the School of Engineering at Cardiff University. I’m excited about enabling robots to manipulate real-world objects, rigid or deformable, through learning or non-learning methods. I studied deep (hierarchical) reinforcement learning and affordance learning for rigid object grasping and manipulation throughout my PhD years at Cardiff University and received my PhD in October, 2023. Now I’m developing methods to simulate and handle real-world deformable objects with differentiable physics. I also devote myself to open-source software development. Before my PhD, I received my Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering from Guangdong University of Technology in China.
Publication
2025
- Han, S. et al. 2025. Dual-wave hybrid acoustofluidic centrifuge for rapid enrichment of micro- and nanoscale biological particles. Sensors and Actuators A: Physical 389, article number: 116495. (10.1016/j.sna.2025.116495)
- Wu, Z. et al. 2025. Label-free DNA detection using optical barcodes from high Q-factor microbubble resonators. IEEE Sensors Journal 25(14), pp. 26631-26641. (10.1109/jsen.2025.3577175)
- Yang, X., Ji, Z. and Lai, Y. 2025. Differentiable physics-based system identification for robotic manipulation of elastoplastic materials. International Journal of Robotics Research (10.1177/02783649251334661)
- Wei, M., Yang, X., Yan, J., Lai, Y. and Ji, Z. 2025. Celebi’s choice: causality-guided skill optimisation for granular manipulation via differentiable simulation. Presented at: International Symposium on Intelligent Robotics and Systems (ISoIRS 2025), Chengdu, China, 13-15 June 2025Proceedings of the 2025 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2025). IEEE
2024
- Gao, Y., Wu, J., Yang, X. and Ji, Z. 2024. Efficient hierarchical reinforcement learning for mapless navigation with predictive neighbouring space scoring. IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering 21(4), pp. 5457-5472. (10.1109/TASE.2023.3312237)
- Yang, X. and Ji, Z. 2024. Accelerating multi-step sparse reward reinforcement learning. Presented at: Cardiff University Engineering Research Conference 2023, Cardiff, UK, 12-14 July 2023 Presented at Spezi, E. and Bray, M. eds.Proceedings of the Cardiff University Engineering Research Conference 2023. Cardiff: Cardiff University Press pp. 86-90., (10.18573/conf1.u)
- Yang, X., Wu, J., Lai, Y. and Ji, Z. 2024. GAM: General Affordance-based Manipulation for contact-rich object disentangling tasks. Neurocomputing 578, article number: 127386. (10.1016/j.neucom.2024.127386)
2023
- Yang, X., Ji, Z., Wu, J. and Lai, Y. 2023. Recent advances of deep robotic affordance learning: a reinforcement learning perspective. IEEE Transactions on Cognitive and Developmental Systems 15(3), pp. 1139-1149. (10.1109/TCDS.2023.3277288)
- Yang, X. 2023. Robotic object manipulation via hierarchical and affordance learning. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.
- Zhang, T., Liu, Y., Yang, X., Chen, J. and Huang, J. 2023. Home health care routing and scheduling in densely populated communities considering complex human behaviours. Computers and Industrial Engineering 182, article number: 109332. (10.1016/j.cie.2023.109332)
2022
- You, Y., Ji, Z., Yang, X. and Liu, Y. 2022. From human-human collaboration to human-robot collaboration: automated generation of assembly task knowledge model. Presented at: 27th IEEE International Conference on Automation and Computing (ICAC2022), Bristol, UK, 1-3 Sept 20222022 27th International Conference on Automation and Computing (ICAC). IEEE, (10.1109/ICAC55051.2022.9911131)
- Yang, X., Ji, Z., Wu, J. and Lai, Y. 2022. Abstract demonstrations and adaptive exploration for efficient and stable multi-step sparse reward reinforcement learning. Presented at: 27th IEEE International Conference on Automation and Computing (ICAC2022), Bristol, United Kingdom, 1-3 September 20222022 27th International Conference on Automation and Computing (ICAC). IEEE, (10.1109/ICAC55051.2022.9911100)
- Yang, X., Ji, Z., Wu, J., Lai, Y., Wei, C., Liu, G. and Setchi, R. 2022. Hierarchical reinforcement learning with universal policies for multi-step robotic manipulation. IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks and Learning Systems 33(9), pp. 4727-4741. (10.1109/TNNLS.2021.3059912)
2021
- Yang, X., Ji, Z., Wu, J. and Lai, Y. 2021. An open-source multi-goal reinforcement learning environment for robotic manipulation with Pybullet. Presented at: 21st Towards Autonomous Robotic Systems Conference (TAROS 2021), Virtual, 8-10 September 2021 Presented at Fox, C. et al. eds.Towards Autonomous Robotic Systems. TAROS 2021. Lecture Notes in Computer Science Springer pp. 14-24., (10.1007/978-3-030-89177-0_2)
Articles
- Han, S. et al. 2025. Dual-wave hybrid acoustofluidic centrifuge for rapid enrichment of micro- and nanoscale biological particles. Sensors and Actuators A: Physical 389, article number: 116495. (10.1016/j.sna.2025.116495)
- Wu, Z. et al. 2025. Label-free DNA detection using optical barcodes from high Q-factor microbubble resonators. IEEE Sensors Journal 25(14), pp. 26631-26641. (10.1109/jsen.2025.3577175)
- Yang, X., Ji, Z. and Lai, Y. 2025. Differentiable physics-based system identification for robotic manipulation of elastoplastic materials. International Journal of Robotics Research (10.1177/02783649251334661)
- Gao, Y., Wu, J., Yang, X. and Ji, Z. 2024. Efficient hierarchical reinforcement learning for mapless navigation with predictive neighbouring space scoring. IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering 21(4), pp. 5457-5472. (10.1109/TASE.2023.3312237)
- Yang, X., Wu, J., Lai, Y. and Ji, Z. 2024. GAM: General Affordance-based Manipulation for contact-rich object disentangling tasks. Neurocomputing 578, article number: 127386. (10.1016/j.neucom.2024.127386)
- Yang, X., Ji, Z., Wu, J. and Lai, Y. 2023. Recent advances of deep robotic affordance learning: a reinforcement learning perspective. IEEE Transactions on Cognitive and Developmental Systems 15(3), pp. 1139-1149. (10.1109/TCDS.2023.3277288)
- Zhang, T., Liu, Y., Yang, X., Chen, J. and Huang, J. 2023. Home health care routing and scheduling in densely populated communities considering complex human behaviours. Computers and Industrial Engineering 182, article number: 109332. (10.1016/j.cie.2023.109332)
- Yang, X., Ji, Z., Wu, J., Lai, Y., Wei, C., Liu, G. and Setchi, R. 2022. Hierarchical reinforcement learning with universal policies for multi-step robotic manipulation. IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks and Learning Systems 33(9), pp. 4727-4741. (10.1109/TNNLS.2021.3059912)
Conferences
- Wei, M., Yang, X., Yan, J., Lai, Y. and Ji, Z. 2025. Celebi’s choice: causality-guided skill optimisation for granular manipulation via differentiable simulation. Presented at: International Symposium on Intelligent Robotics and Systems (ISoIRS 2025), Chengdu, China, 13-15 June 2025Proceedings of the 2025 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2025). IEEE
- Yang, X. and Ji, Z. 2024. Accelerating multi-step sparse reward reinforcement learning. Presented at: Cardiff University Engineering Research Conference 2023, Cardiff, UK, 12-14 July 2023 Presented at Spezi, E. and Bray, M. eds.Proceedings of the Cardiff University Engineering Research Conference 2023. Cardiff: Cardiff University Press pp. 86-90., (10.18573/conf1.u)
- You, Y., Ji, Z., Yang, X. and Liu, Y. 2022. From human-human collaboration to human-robot collaboration: automated generation of assembly task knowledge model. Presented at: 27th IEEE International Conference on Automation and Computing (ICAC2022), Bristol, UK, 1-3 Sept 20222022 27th International Conference on Automation and Computing (ICAC). IEEE, (10.1109/ICAC55051.2022.9911131)
- Yang, X., Ji, Z., Wu, J. and Lai, Y. 2022. Abstract demonstrations and adaptive exploration for efficient and stable multi-step sparse reward reinforcement learning. Presented at: 27th IEEE International Conference on Automation and Computing (ICAC2022), Bristol, United Kingdom, 1-3 September 20222022 27th International Conference on Automation and Computing (ICAC). IEEE, (10.1109/ICAC55051.2022.9911100)
- Yang, X., Ji, Z., Wu, J. and Lai, Y. 2021. An open-source multi-goal reinforcement learning environment for robotic manipulation with Pybullet. Presented at: 21st Towards Autonomous Robotic Systems Conference (TAROS 2021), Virtual, 8-10 September 2021 Presented at Fox, C. et al. eds.Towards Autonomous Robotic Systems. TAROS 2021. Lecture Notes in Computer Science Springer pp. 14-24., (10.1007/978-3-030-89177-0_2)
Thesis
- Yang, X. 2023. Robotic object manipulation via hierarchical and affordance learning. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.
Research
I’m excited about enabling robots to manipulate real-world objects, rigid or deformable, through learning or non-learning methods. I studied deep (hierarchical) reinforcement learning and affordance learning for rigid object grasping and manipulation. Now I’m developing methods to simulate and handle real-world deformable objects.
Contact Details
YangX66@cardiff.ac.uk
Queen’s Buildings, Room Room C1.06, 5 The Parade, Newport Road, Cardiff, CF24 3AA
Queen’s Buildings, Room Room C1.06, 5 The Parade, Newport Road, Cardiff, CF24 3AA