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Daniel Zhou Hao

Dr. Hao is a lecturer (assistant professor) in AI and Robotics at CMS. He is the founder of the Dynamics and Neural Intelligence (DANi) Lab and the Team Lead of the DriverLeics research-inspired education group in AI-powered robotics and autonomous systems.

Dr. Hao is the Leicester's PI in the UK Space Agency (UKSA) funded PLATOR project. He is also the Robotics Lead for the ESA/NASA Mars Sample Return DWI Project (ESA Prog. ref: E/019A-02R - MSR SRP E3P2), affiliated with Space Park Leicester. Dr. Hao is the Co-I of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Digital Transformation of Metals Industry (2024), working with School of Engineering.

Dr. Hao's expertise encompasses Spacecraft AOCS/GNC, Robotics, and AI. His current research interests include autonomous GNC supporting in-orbit servicing and manufacturing, Large language and vision models driven robotics, Reinforcement Learning for Legged Space Robots, AI-driven Robotic Manipulation, and AI for Space Sciences.

Before joining Leicester, Dr. Hao worked at the Centre for Vision, Speech, and Signal Processing (CVSSP)- funded by the University of Surrey, and at the Surrey Space Centre- funded by EPSRC. He was awarded a PhD in Aerospace Engineering, specialising in Very Low Earth Orbits Thermospherical Spacecraft Attitude Control, from the University of Manchester in 2018. Additionally, he holds double-MSc in both Space Sciences and Astronautical Engineering.

Dr. Hao is passionate about discussing science to inspire the general public and younger generations to be fascinated by AI and Space. He has lead teams to participate in various outreach events, including the BrightSparks STEM Fair 2023, Cheltenham Science Festival 2019, and BlueDot Science Festival 2016

AI could be the breakthrough that allows humanoid robots to jump from science fiction to reality

Aug 12, 2024 09:18 am UTC| Technology

Humanoid robots have long been a staple of science fiction, but there is now real progress being made. A range of new models made by or backed by the likes of Boston Dynamics, Tesla and OpenAI are able to walk and move...

Economy

100+ Global Companies Push Governments to Prioritize Electrification for Economic Growth

More than 100 major global companies, including Nestlé, Uber, IKEA, Volvo Cars, Iberdrola, Levi Strauss, Nikon Corporation, and Mahindra Group, are urging governments to place electrification at the heart of their...

Dollar Holds Firm as U.S.-Iran Talks Ease Tensions, GBP/USD Slips Amid UK Political Uncertainty

The U.S. dollar remained largely stable on Monday after the first round of diplomatic talks between the United States and Iran concluded with signs of progress, although lingering geopolitical risks continued to keep...

China Keeps Loan Prime Rates Unchanged for 13th Straight Month as Policymakers Prioritize Credit Demand Recovery

Chinas central bank left its benchmark lending rates unchanged in June, marking the 13th consecutive month without an adjustment and reinforcing expectations that policymakers are not rushing to introduce additional...

US Stock Futures Recover as Iran Signals Progress in Peace Talks

U.S. stock index futures pared earlier losses on Sunday night after Iran reported progress in ongoing peace negotiations held in Switzerland, easing investor concerns about escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle...

Gold Price Rises as Investors Weigh U.S.-Iran Talks and Fed Policy Outlook

Gold prices moved higher on Monday as investors closely followed developments in U.S.-Iran negotiations and evaluated the future direction of U.S. monetary policy after the Federal Reserves recent hawkish stance. Spot gold...

Politics

US Military Strike on Suspected Drug Trafficking Vessel Leaves Two Dead in Caribbean

The U.S. military has confirmed that it carried out a strike on a vessel in the Caribbean Sea, resulting in the deaths of two individuals whom officials described as male narco-terrorists. The operation, announced by U.S....

Taiwan Launches Five-Day Combat Readiness Drill Amid Rising China Military Activity

Taiwans military will begin a five-day combat readiness exercise this week as part of its broader military modernization strategy aimed at improving war preparedness and strengthening defense capabilities against growing...

Pedro Sanchez’s Wife Ordered to Stand Trial in Spain Corruption Case

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchezs wife, Begoña Gomez, has been ordered to stand trial on corruption-related charges and has been barred from leaving Spain, according to a ruling issued by Judge Juan Carlos...

Moscow Downs Dozens of Ukrainian Drones as Airports Halt Flights Amid Escalating Attacks

Russias capital, Moscow, came under a major drone attack early Monday, with air defense systems intercepting nearly 60 Ukrainian drones heading toward the city, according to Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. The incident briefly...

China Adds MP Materials, USA Rare Earth to Export Control List Amid Escalating U.S.-China Trade Tensions

China has expanded its export control measures by adding two major U.S. rare earth companies, MP Materials Corp (NYSE: MP) and USA Rare Earth Inc (NASDAQ: USAR), to its export control list, according to a notice issued by...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

SK Hynix Overtakes Samsung as South Korea’s Most Valuable Company

SK Hynix briefly surpassed Samsung Electronics in market capitalization on Monday, marking a historic milestone in South Koreas corporate landscape. The AI-driven semiconductor boom has propelled the memory chip giant to...

US-Iran De-Escalation Shifts Washington’s Focus to AI Regulation and Crypto Legislation

A potential easing of tensions between the United States and Iran is redirecting Washingtons attention toward major technology policy initiatives and executive actions, according to a new report from Wolfe Research. The...

Google’s Open-Source AI Data Center Cooling Design Raises Commoditization Concerns

Googles newly introduced open-source liquid-cooling design for AI data centers is drawing attention across the data center infrastructure industry, with analysts suggesting it could accelerate the commoditization of...

John Jumper Leaves Google DeepMind for Anthropic Amid Intensifying AI Talent Race

John Jumper, the Google DeepMind researcher who shared the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his groundbreaking work on the AlphaFold artificial intelligence system, has announced that he is leaving Google DeepMind to join...

Trump Says Anthropic No Longer Seen as National Security Threat

U.S. President Donald Trump said he no longer views artificial intelligence company Anthropic as a national security threat, marking a significant shift from his stance just a week earlier. The comments came during an...