{"id":316181,"date":"2026-03-01T11:08:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-01T11:08:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/316181\/"},"modified":"2026-03-01T11:08:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-01T11:08:09","slug":"xiangyi-cheng-brings-ar-to-classrooms-and-hospitals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/316181\/","title":{"rendered":"Xiangyi Cheng Brings AR to Classrooms and Hospitals"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Xiangyi Cheng<\/a> published her first journal paper as a principal investigator in IEEE Access<\/a> in 2024, it marked more than a professional milestone. For Cheng, an IEEE member and an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Loyola Marymount University<\/a>, in Los Angeles, it was the latest waypoint in a career shaped by curiosity, persistence, and a belief that technology should serve people\u2014not the other way around.<\/p>\n

The paper\u2019s title was \u201cMobile Devices or Head-Mounted Displays: A Comparative Review and Analysis of Augmented Reality in Healthcare<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

XIANGYI CHENG<\/p>\n

Employer <\/p>\n

Loyola Marymount University, in Los Angeles<\/p>\n

Title <\/p>\n

Assistant professor of mechanical engineering<\/p>\n

Member grade <\/p>\n

Member<\/p>\n

Alma maters <\/p>\n

China<\/a> University of Mining and Technology; Texas A&M University<\/p>\n

Cheng\u2019s work spans robotics<\/a>, intelligent systems<\/a>, human-machine interaction and <\/a> artificial intelligence<\/a>. It has applications in patient-specific surgical planning, an approach whereby treatment is customized to the anatomy and clinical needs of each individual.<\/p>\n

Her research also covers wearables<\/a> for rehabilitation<\/a> and augmented-reality<\/a>-enhanced engineering education<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The throughline of her career is sound judgment based on critical thinking. She urges her students to avoid the temptation to accept the answers they\u2019re given by AI without cross-checking them against their own foundational understanding of the subject matter.<\/p>\n

\u201cAI can give you ideas,\u201d Cheng says, \u201cbut it should never lead your thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n

That principle\u2014honed through uncertainty, disciplinary shifts, and hard-earned confidence\u2014has made Cheng an emerging voice in applied intelligent systems and a thoughtful educator preparing students for an AI-saturated world.<\/p>\n

From Xi\u2019an to Beijing: A mind drawn to mathematics<\/a><\/p>\n

Cheng, born in Xi\u2019an, China<\/a>, grew up in a household<\/a> shaped by her parents\u2019 disparate careers. Her father was a mining engineer, and her mother taught Chinese and literature at a high school.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat contrast between logical and literary thinking helped me understand myself early,\u201d Cheng says. \u201cI liked math, and STEM felt natural to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several teachers reinforced her inclination, she says, particularly a math teacher whose calm, fair approach emphasized reasoning over punishments such as detention for misbehavior or failure to complete assignments.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t about being right,\u201d Cheng says. \u201cIt was about thinking clearly.\u201d<\/p>\n

She moved to Beijing in 2011 to attend the China University of Mining and Technology<\/a> , where she studied mechanical engineering. After graduating with a bachelor\u2019s degree in 2015, she was unsure where the field would take her.<\/p>\n

An IEEE paper changed her trajectory<\/p>\n

Later in 2015, she traveled to the United States<\/a> to study at Case Western Reserve University<\/a>, in Cleveland.<\/p>\n

She initially viewed the move as exploratory rather than a long-term commitment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t thinking about a Ph.D.,\u201d she says. \u201cI wasn\u2019t even sure research was for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

That uncertainty shifted in 2017, when Cheng submitted her \u201cIntuBot: Design and Prototyping of a Robotic Intubation Device<\/a>\u201d paper to the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation<\/a> (ICRA)\u2014which was accepted.<\/p>\n

\u201cAI can give you more possibilities, but thinking is still our responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n

Intubation is a procedure in which an endotracheal tube is inserted into a patient\u2019s airway\u2014usually through the mouth\u2014to help them breathe. Because placing the tube correctly is not simple and usually must be done quickly, it requires training. That\u2019s why research into robotic or assisted intubation systems focuses on improving speed, accuracy, and safety.<\/p>\n

She presented her findings at ICRA<\/a> in 2018, giving her early exposure to a global research community.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat acceptance gave me confidence,\u201d she recalls. \u201cIt showed me I could contribute to the field.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her advisor at Case Western encouraged her to switch from the mechanical engineering master\u2019s program to the Ph.D. track. When the advisor moved to Texas A&M University<\/a>, in College Station, in 2019, Cheng decided to transfer. She completed her Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at Texas A&M in 2022.<\/p>\n

Although she didn\u2019t earn a degree from Case Western, she credits her experience there with clarifying her professional direction.<\/p>\n

Shortly after graduating with her Ph.D., Cheng was hired as an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Ohio Northern University<\/a>, in Ada. She left in 2024 to become an assistant professor at Loyola Marymount.<\/p>\n

Engineering for the body\u2014and the classroom<\/p>\n

Cheng\u2019s research focuses on human-centered engineering, particularly in health care<\/a>. One of her major projects addresses syndactyly<\/a>, a congenital condition in which a newborn\u2019s fingers are fused at birth. Surgeons rely on their experience to estimate the size and shape of skin grafts to be taken from another part of the body for the corrective surgery<\/a>.<\/p>\n

She is developing technology to scan the patient\u2019s hand, extract anatomical landmarks, and use finite element analysis\u2014a computer-based method for predicting how a physical object will behave under real-world conditions\u2014to determine the optimal graft size and shape.<\/p>\n

\"Smiling Xiangyi Cheng designs human-centered intelligent systems with applications in health care and education.Xiangyi Cheng<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone\u2019s hand is different,\u201d Cheng says. \u201cSo the surgery should be personalized.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another project centers on developing smart gloves to assist with hand rehabilitation, pairing the unaffected hand with the injured one so the person\u2019s natural motion can help guide therapy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

She also is exploring augmented reality<\/a> in engineering education, using immersive visualization and AI tools to help students grasp three-dimensional concepts that are difficult to convey through traditional learning tools. Such visualization lets students see and interact with a digital world as if they\u2019re inside it instead of viewing it on a flat screen.<\/p>\n

Teaching balance in an AI-driven world<\/p>\n

Despite working at the forefront of AI-enabled systems, Cheng cautions her students to be judicious in their use of the technology so that they don\u2019t rely on it too heavily.<\/p>\n

\u201cAI is not always right and perfect,\u201d she says. \u201cYou still need to be able to judge whether the answers it provides are correct.\u201d<\/p>\n

As AI continues to reshape engineering, Cheng remains grounded in a simple principle, she says: \u201cWe should use these tools. But we should never let them replace our judgment. AI can give you more possibilities, but thinking is still our responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n

In her lab and classroom, Cheng prioritizes independent thinking, critical evaluation, and persistence. Many of her research students are undergraduates, and she encourages them to take ownership of their work\u2014planning ahead, testing ideas, and learning from failure.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe students who succeed don\u2019t give up easily,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

What she finds most rewarding, she says, is watching students mature. Reserved first-year students often become confident seniors<\/a> who can present complex work and manage demanding projects.<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting to witness that transformation is why I teach,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

For students considering engineering, Cheng offers straightforward advice: \u201cFocus on mathematics. Engineering looks hands-on, but math is the foundation behind everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

With practice and persistence, she says, students can succeed and find meaning in the field.<\/p>\n

Why IEEE continues to matter<\/p>\n

Cheng joined IEEE in 2017, the year she submitted her first paper to ICRA. The organization has remained central to her professional development<\/a>, she says.<\/p>\n

She has served as a reviewer for IEEE journals and conferences including Robotics and Automation Letters<\/a>, Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics<\/a>, Transactions on Robotics<\/a>, the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems<\/a>, and ICRA.<\/p>\n

IEEE\u2019s interdisciplinary scope aligns naturally with her work, she says, adding that the organization is \u201cone of the few places that truly welcomes research across boundaries.\u201d<\/p>\n

More personally, IEEE helped her see a future she had not initially imagined.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat first conference was a turning point,\u201d she says. \u201cIt helped me realize I belonged.\u201d<\/p>\n

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