Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST)’s BridgeDP Robotics team emerged from 6.19 million global entries to win gold in the undergraduate entrepreneurship category at the China International College Students’ Innovation Competition 2025 (CICSIC 2025).

Their project, “Provider of Whole Body Control System for Legged Robots”, impressed both industry experts and the audience with its universal robot motion control solution, reflecting the team’s ongoing exploration at the intersection of technology, industry, and competition.

“Our robots do not simply follow pre-programmed instructions; they rely on an internal ‘cerebellum’ to coordinate all joints in real time”, explained Founder Shang Yangxing. In robotics, the “cerebellum” refers to a control module responsible for balance and motion. In the past, BridgeDP Robotics operated on a project basis, tailoring motion control solutions to specific customer needs.

Their R&D journey was far from smooth. Before the team was established, Shang debugged quadruped robots alone, with strategies trained in simulation often performing poorly when deployed on real robots. “It felt almost mystical”, Shang recalled. To solve these issues, he developed a rigorous troubleshooting workflow: record robot jitter data, analyze slow-motion video for detail, hypothesize potential factors such as latency, friction, or torque tracking, and verify each through experimentation – a process that tested both time and patience.

After forming the team, the challenge shifted to balancing deep technical thinking with efficient collaboration. On one occasion, a client requested stable walking on a robot the team had never handled, to be completed within a week in a secure facility with only one team member on site.

To meet the deadline, the team implemented a day-and-night coordination system: onsite members collected problems and performed operations during the day, while the full team analyzed data and designed new solutions remotely at night, completing the task in just three and a half days.

Over more than two years, BridgeDP Robotics has steadily advanced the robot “cerebellum” toward practical applications and industrial use. Their current goal is to create a universal robot “cerebellum” – a motion development platform compatible with multiple robot bodies. Developers can design actions once and train them across different robot models, lowering the barrier for clients and accelerating motion development, especially for those with limited budgets but extensive customization needs.

With solid technology now in place, the team faces the challenge of effectively communicating its value. For the national competition alone, their pitch deck underwent over 10 major structural revisions and more than 50 detailed adjustments.

HUST supported the team by introducing members with prior national competition experience, hosting high-fidelity mock presentations, and providing weekly guidance from Huang Gang, then Vice Dean of the Qiming School of HUST, who offered detailed feedback on logic and presentation.

The team has also formally registered a company, BridgeDP (Shenzhen) Technology Co, and will continue to develop and industrialize their universal robot motion control.

Source: Public Relations Office of HUST