Professor Feng Gao from School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, has been honored with the 2026 ASME Machine Design Award, the highest lifetime achievement honor in machine design conferred by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).

The award recognizes Professor Gao’s groundbreaking contributions: he pioneered the Generalized Function (GF) Set configuration theory for parallel robots and established a forward design methodology for robotic mechanisms driven by function and performance. His innovative equipment inventions span aerospace and nuclear power dynamic performance testing, ultra-large heavy-load forging systems, and intelligent hexapod robots, delivering transformative advances across key engineering sectors.

A leading scholar in parallel mechanism design theory and applied robotics, Professor Gao has served as the chief scientist for China’s National 973 Program and led multiple major national research initiatives including the 863 Program, National Key R&D Programs, and key NSFC projects. His accolades include the Second Prize of the National Natural Science Award, four first-class provincial and ministerial awards, the ASME Leonardo da Vinci Award, and the Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress.

He previously headed the State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, and held key academic roles: member of ASME’s Mechanisms and Robotics Committee, editorial board member of international journals Robotica and Engineering, and associate editor of the Chinese Journal of Mechanical Engineering (English Edition). His team’s iconic hexapod robot gained nationwide fame after its showcase at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and prime-time CCTV broadcasts, with a physical model permanently collected by the Museum of the Communist Party of China.

Founded in 1958 by ASME’s former Machine Design Division (now Design Engineering Division), the Machine Design Award honors individuals with extraordinary accomplishments and landmark contributions to mechanical design research, development and practice.