Xiaoyu Liang

Electrical and Computer Engineering | Cornell University

I'm actively seeking PhD positions starting Fall 2026. My research interests span robotics, edge AI/ML, and embedded systems, and hardware–software co-design. My goal is to develop intelligent physical systems that perceive, learn, and act efficiently on resource-constrained edge platforms.
Feel free to reach out to discuss research opportunities or collaborations.

xl434@cornell.edu

(518) 925-5683

Ithaca, NY

View Publications

About Me

I graduated from Cornell University in May 2025 with a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering and a minor in Robotics.

I currently work with Prof. Zhiru Zhang at the Cornell CSL on an agentic NPU programming workflow and the deployment of the VLA model on NPU. Earlier in my undergraduate research, I worked with Prof. Tapomayukh Bhattacharjee in the EmPRISE Lab on robotic caregiving and tactile sensing. I did summer research with Prof. Jim McCann at Carnegie Mellon University Robotics Institute on dual-mode proximity and touch sensors for robot in summer 2024.

Outside my research, I'm committed to teaching and community. I worked as Teaching Assistant every semester since Fall 2022, helping students connect concepts to real projects. I also enjoy working on interesting side projects that keep me learning and building.

In my creative work, I am a songwriter and producer. I founded and lead the Cornell-based indie band Night Espresso.

Education

Cornell University

B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering

Minor in Robotics

Graduated May 2025

Publications

OpenRoboCare: A Multi-Modal Multi-Task Expert Demonstration Dataset for Robot Caregiving

Xiaoyu Liang, Ziang Liu, Kelvin Lin, Edward Gu, Ruolin Ye, Tam Nguyen, Cynthia Hsu, Zhanxin Wu, Xiaoman Yang, Christy Sum Yu Cheung, Harold Soh, Katherine Dimitropoulou, Tapomayukh Bhattacharjee

IROS 2025

PDF Website

PrioriTouch: Adapting to User Contact Preferences for Whole-Arm Physical Human-Robot Interaction

Rishabh Madan, Jiawei Lin, Mahika Goel, Amber Li, Angchen Xie, Xiaoyu Liang, Marcus Lee, Justin Guo, Pranav N. Thakkar, Rohan Banerjee, Jose Barreiros, Kate Tsui, Tom Silver, Tapomayukh Bhattacharjee

CoRL 2025

PDF Website

CushSense: Soft, Stretchable, and Comfortable Tactile Sensing Skin for Physical Human-Robot Interaction

Boxin Xu, Luoyan Zhong, Grace Zhang, Xiaoyu Liang, Diego Virtue, Rishabh Madan, Tapo Bhattacharjee

ICRA 2024

PDF Website

Projects

TCAM

with Prof. Alyosha Molnar | Spring 2025

Designed and implemented a high-speed, compact 32×32 TCAM (Ternary Content-Addressable Memory) array with integrated highest-index priority encoder in Cadence. Optimized transistor sizing for performance and automated full verification using a Python-driven Verilog-A testbench for comprehensive 32-bit operations testing.

GestureHome

with Prof. Joseph Skovira | Fall 2023

Developed a home automation system using computer vision for intuitive hand gesture control. Fine-tuned a hand-tracking pipeline using OpenCV and MediaPipe, then integrated it with a user-friendly interface while solving Raspberry Pi compatibility challenges for seamless deployment.

PiLooper

with Dr. Hunter Adams & Dr. Bruce Land | Fall 2023

Created a Raspberry Pi Pico-based music device for real-time audio recording, looping, and playback. Designed custom analog circuitry for noise elimination and signal amplification, and engineered a sophisticated interface pipeline for precise input detection and state management.

IntelliGlove

with Prof. Nils Napp | Spring 2023

Built a smart sensing glove that translates hand gestures into English words and numerical values. Developed the complete sensor architecture and gesture recognition algorithm from scratch. The project ranked in the top 10 out of 80 teams in the final showcase competition.

MazeBot

with Dr. Carl Bernard | Fall 2022

Designed and built an autonomous maze-navigating robot featuring wireless communication and audio processing capabilities. Implemented depth-first search navigation, PID control for precise movement, FFT analysis for audio detection, and RF communication for remote operation. Ranked 1st out of 20 teams in the final competition.

Awards & Membership

Faculty Nominated CS Course Staff Award

Spring 2024

Cornell Engineering Undergraduate Research Award

Fall 2023

Best Software Award in Cornell Engineering Makeathon

Spring 2023

IEEE-HKN Member

Since Spring 2023

Dean's Honor List

Multiple Semesters Since Fall 2021

Teaching

Teaching Assistant

ECE 5725 Design with Embedded Operating Systems Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Fall 2025

CS 4770 Foundations of Robotics Fall 2023, Fall 2024

ECE 2300 Digital Logic and Computer Organization Spring 2024

ECE 1210 The Computing Technology Inside Your Smartphone Spring 2023

Teaching Consultant

CS 1112 Introduction to Computing Using MATLAB Fall 2022, Spring 2023

Music

Besides work, I'm a passionate musician. I play the guitar, create original compositions, and I'm the lead songwriter and producer for my indie pop band Night Espresso. Formed in 2022, our band blends indie pop with jazz and dreampop to create a soft, warm sound. We have performed at various events and have hosted our own concerts on the Cornell campus.

Making music with Night Espresso is more than just a creative outlet. It's about collaboration, shared vision, and expressing our philosophy of life through sound. Working together as a band has taught me the value of listening, compromise, and collective growth. Each song is a journey we take together, integrating our individual perspectives into something greater than ourselves.

🎵 Band Website 📷 Instagram