~/ranbao_core
About
I'm a robotics engineer from China, based in Delft. I studied robotics at SUSTech in Shenzhen, then came to TU Delft for my MSc on a fully funded Nuffic scholarship, one of eleven awarded nationally that year.
What I enjoy most is the step from a messy physical system to a model you can trust. That means understanding the mechanics first, then deciding how much to learn from data and how much to take from physics. It started with walking robots and now sits at the boundary between machine learning and human touch.
How I work
Principles before recipes
I want to know why a method works before I trust it: the physics of a contact, or why a model fails on a new user.
Numbers over adjectives
I compare options with measurements and trade-offs, and I report the unflattering result when it's the honest one.
Pragmatic about resources
I use the simplest thing that works, whether that's a linear model, a model-based controller or an old gaming laptop turned into a Linux server for local LLMs.
Languages
- Chinese · native
- English · fluent
- Dutch · basic, learning
- Japanese · basic, learning
Outside the lab
modding
Making games (a little)
I mod the strategy games I play. My Crusader Kings III AI mod has 14,400+ subscribers, and I'm slowly writing the setting and story for a game of my own.
piano
Piano
I play piano in my spare time, mostly Bach, my favourite composer.
calisthenics
Calisthenics
Bodyweight training: muscle-ups, handstands and one-arm push-ups. Plus the daily Delft bike commute, which hardly counts as a hobby here.
sci-fi
Science fiction
Blade Runner, Asimov's Foundation and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners: stories about what machines and people become together. Probably not a coincidence, given my job.
Say hello
I'm open to engineering roles and PhD positions from March 2027. The fastest way to reach me is ranbaodeng@outlook.com, or see my CV.