Prof. Jacky Baltes is a distinguished robotics and AI researcher based at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) in Taipei, serving as a full/Distinguished Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering. His primary research interests are robotics, artificial intelligence, planning, machine learning, and distributed processing, with a focus on bringing AI techniques into practical robotic systems such as robot vision and intelligent humanoid robotics. Prof. Baltes has a substantial publication record. Beyond research and teaching, he has taken on international leadership roles, including positions in robotics organizations and committees; his NTNU biography notes involvement with international robot sports and related federations, and lists several funded projects and collaborative initiatives in humanoid robotics and robot vision. At NTNU Prof. Baltes teaches courses and supervises projects that bridge theory and hands-on robotics practice; his lab materials and course videos (robot vision, intelligent humanoid robotics) emphasize applied AI for real-world robotic systems, contributing to education and industry-ready training in Taiwan and the region.
The Educational Robotics Center (ERC) at NTNU serves as a hub for teaching, research, and student innovation in robotics and AI. The lab combines hardware development, perception and control, and AI methods to build robots that perform tasks ranging from autonomous navigation to robot athletics and interactive demonstrations. ERC emphasizes applied projects and competition teams, giving students opportunities to design, build, and deploy robots in real settings. Key research areas include robot vision, intelligent humanoid robotics, reinforcement learning, and large language model integration for robot control. Faculty and students work on moving robots from scripted behaviors toward self‑learning systems, integrating modern AI frameworks into embedded and mobile platforms. The lab runs educational programs and international exchanges—such as the Taiwan Experience Education Program—that invite students to join short‑term research placements and hands‑on projects in intelligent humanoid robotics. ERC also fields teams in regional and international robotics competitions (for example, FIRA Robotics events), using those venues to test novel algorithms and to train students in systems integration, real‑time control, and teamwork. Participation in competitions and public demos is a core part of the lab’s pedagogy.
Prof. Baltes is the PI of the most advanced Taiwanese humanoid robotics project. His students and he taught a humanoid robot to balance an electric scooter. Scooters, i,e., small motorcycles like a Vespa, are the most common vehicle in Taiwan, especially in cities like Taipei. The driving test for scooters is a right of passage for Taiwanese youth and is a standardized test on a special test course. The final goal for the project is for the scooter to pass the Taiwanese driving test. One of the most difficult parts of the test is the slow driving challenge: the candidate must drive a 15m long and 40cm wide small track in more than 7 seconds (7.1 km/h). In 2025, Prof. Baltes and his team achieved a world first: The scooter was able to balance autonomously and drive the 15m long track in 10 seconds, which is close to elite performance for human drivers.
More recently, Prof. Baltes has started a new project on rock climbing/bouldering humanoid robots. Rock climbing is an interesting challenge problem for humanoid robots, since it requires the combination of highly dynamic actions executed in short time frames with long term planning/problem solving. The goal is for one of the robots to climb Taipei 101 just like Alex Honnold did in Jan. 2026.
Students are expected to have knowledge in programming (Python, C++, …), robotics middleware (ROS2, Isaac Lab), AI, reinforcement learning, computer vision, robotics control theory, and excellent problem solving skills. 3D design skills are an asset.
Prof. Baltes and his students have participated in many prestigious international robot competitions including the FIRA Robot World Cup, the International Robot Magic show competition, and the RoboCup competition. They have won over 100 awards with our teams.
PhD : University of Calgary, Computer Science
Dissertation: “DoLittle: a Learning Multi-Strategy Planning System”
Supervisor: Bruce MacDonald, University of Calgary.
BSc : University of Calgary, Computer Science
Graduated with Distinction, Minor in Pure Mathematics