Assistant Professor Nhan Huu Nguyen, Human Information Science Research Area, received the Young Award (IROS 2025) from the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (RAS) Japan Joint Chapter.

RAS Japan Joint Chapter, with financial support from the IEEE Japan Council through Chapter Support Funds, presents the Young Award. The purpose of this award is to foster outstanding young researchers enrolled in universities and graduate schools in Japan, and to further promote international conferences on robotics and automation, such as ICRA, IROS and CASE.
This award was presented to Assistant Professor Nguyen for his highly regarded presentation at IROS 2025, held in Hangzhou, China, from October 19 to 25, 2025.

＊Reference：IEEE RAS Japan Joint Chapter
　　　　　　　IROS 2025

■Date Awarded
October 21, 2025

■Title
Vi2TaP: A Cross-Polarization Based Mechanism for Perception Transition in Tactile-Proximity Sensing With Applications to Soft Grippers

■Authors
Nhan Huu Nguyen, Nhat Minh Dinh Le (DUT), Quan Khanh Luu (Purdue University), Tuan Tai Nguyen, Van Anh Ho

■Abstract
Vision-based soft sensors have emerged as a promising solution for multi-modal sensory systems. Rather than relying on complex integrations of numerous specialized sensors, these devices are advantageous in achieving multiple perceptual capabilities with a single device. However, the unsolved bottleneck for existing systems lies in preventing perceptual interference among visual fields and establishing a reliable mechanism for switching between perception domains. In this study, we present Vi2TaP a novel mechanism leveraging the cross-polarization phenomenon to shift one perception domain to another in a tactile-proximity multimodal sensing paradigm. The core concept involves two polarizer films placed back-to-back. By adjusting the Plane of Polarization (PoP) between 0 to 90°, the camera can either fully open its Field-of-View (FoV) to the external environment for proximity sensing or restrict it to the internal space between the polarizers, tailored for tactile sensing. First implementation of Vi2TaP is showcased on a soft sensorized gripper. Additionally, we introduce efficient learning pipelines for both proximity and tactile perception, along with effective strategies for extracting valuable information. The experiment results have demonstrated the advantages of the proposed multi-modal sensing scheme in grasping and manipulating tasks. This mechanism is anticipated to accelerate the development and adoption of multimodal vision-based soft sensors across a wide range of practical applications.

■Comment
This reward, on one hand, affirms the potential of our current effort on establishing a unified paradigm for multimodal soft sensors whose primary principle relies on an embedded vision system. The outcome of this work also challenges us with many open questions which will be further investigated with the support of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Grant-in-Aid for Early-career Scientists (No. 25K17569). On the other hand, such personal achievement lays a memorable milestone that encourages me on the pathway to become a successful scientist. This award is also dedicated to all co-authors who contributed their exceptional expertise to this work, not to mention the wholehearted supervision of Professor Van Anh Ho.

November 26, 2025