The Key Laboratory for Terrain-Machine Bionics Engineering, Ministry of Education, China, Jilin University, was found in 2000 based on the Open Research Laboratory for Terrain-Machine Bionics Engineering (Ministry of Machine Industry, China) found in 1992. The laboratory has been opened since 1993 and has been the principal part of the national key discipline of agr

icultural mechanization engineering, Jilin University. The academic council of the laboratory consists of 15 scholars, including 5 members of the Chinese Academy of Science and the Chinese Academy of Engineering. The director of the academic council is professor Luquan Ren. The director of the laboratory is professor Jin Tong.
The research interests in the laboratory have bionic walking of terrain machines on soft ground, bionic anti-adhesion and anti-resistance of terrain machines, bionic designs and their of bio-production and bio-processing machines, and biomimetic tribology and biomimetic materials, including such research contents as mechanics of soft terrain, bionic walking mechanisms, reversing engineering of terrain machines, anti-adhesion and anti-resistance principles of being creatures, bionic anti-adhesion and anti-resistance theory and technology of terrain machines, biologically self-cleaning functions and their bionics, information technology of agricultural machines, precision agriculture, bionic measurement and control of agriculturally biological environment, processing of biological materials under ultra high pressure, intellectualized measuring technology of agricultural product quality, tribology of natural bio-materials, biomimetic tribological techniques and materials, nano-analysis of agricultural bio-materials, and green-manufacturing decision of bionic terrain machines.
In the laboratory are there an indoor soil bin and some related measuring systems, load-measuring vehicle, soil adhesion measuring apparatus, test table of surface resistance, biological analyzer, biological microscopes, precision agriculture equipment, greenhouse and its measuring and controlling systems, ultra high pressure processing equipment of biological materials, micro-tribometer, high speed tribological tester, soil abrasion tester, nano-indenter, atomic force microscope, laser 3D scanning measuring system, and others.
Since 1993, the laboratory has been supported by 180 projects, including 10 projects supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (including 2 key projects), 1 project supported by National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, and 8 projects supported by National Key Technologies R & D Program. Some progress was made, in theory and/or in applications, in the following areas: the structure design, energy-saving mechanism and auto-control of semi-track air cushion vehicle, power optimization and adaptive control of walking-wheel air cushion vehicle on soft terrain, pushing-pulling air cushion carrying flat, the interaction between vehicle and road, intellectual vehicle, mechanism of soil adhesion, anti-adhesion principles of soil-burrowing animals, dynamic anti-adhesion and anti-resistance, bionic non-smooth anti-adhesion anti-resistance, bionic electro-osmosis anti-adhesion and anti-resistance, bionic flexible anti-adhesion and anti-resistance, precision seeding and returning techniques of straw and stalk to soil, precision agriculture, intellectualized measurement and control of agricultural bio-environment, ultra high pressure processing of biological materials, intellectualized measuring technology of agricultural product quality, bionic subsoiling, tribology of natural bio-materials, biomimetic tribology, and biomimetic composite materials. 10 scientific and technical awards were won, including the third prize of state science and technology invention of one, and the first prize of science and technology progress award of one and the second prize of science and technology progress awards or invention awards of eight from the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Machine Industry, and Jilin Province Government, China. Over 450 papers were published by the scholars of the laboratory, in which there were more than 80 papers publishing in SCI or EI system journals. 5 writings were published and 4 Chinese invention patents were authorized.
An academic troop, with logical construction in knowledge, educational level, and age, has been formed in this laboratory, in which there are 10 Ph. D program supervisors in this laboratory and several famous or well-known scholars, such as professor Bingcong Chen, honor director of the academic council of the laboratory, is a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering; professor Luquan Ren, director of the academic council of the laboratory, is one of national middle and young experts with distinguished achievement, vice-president of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Machinery, and associate editor of Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Machinery; professor Chenglin Ma is a member of agricultural engineering subject of the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council, vice-president of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering, and associate editor of Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering; professor Jin Tong, director of the laboratory, is Cheung Kong Scholar of Cheung Kong Scholars Program, Ministry of Education, China, a gainer of National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, a member of editorial boards of two international journals (International Agricultural Engineering Journal, Materials Science Foundations). There are also 6 scholars who won a third prize of national invention award or a first prize of science and technology progress award from the Ministry of Education, or were selected as distinguished scholars by the Ministry of Machine Industry and Jilin Province Government, China. Three young scholars are key teachers or distinguished young teachers of Ministry of Education of Chian. In this laboratory, 8 scholars have doctor degree and 7 scholars had experience in studying or collaborative research overseas.
Since 1993, there have been 38 persons awarding their Ph. D (among them, two from Pakistan and Nigeria) and 49 persons awarding their ME from this laboratory and 9 postdoctoral scholars who worked in this laboratory. At present, there are 32 Ph. D students, 30 master students, and 5 postdoctoral scholars in studying or in working in this laboratory. 24 scholars awarding their Ph. D and working as postdoctoral scholars in this laboratory are now professors or senior research fellows. There were 19 visiting scholars doing their visiting research in this laboratory, who were from universities or research institutes in China and from Tsukuba University of Japan, Warwick University of England, and Asia Institute of Technology.
The collaborative research relationships have been established for this laboratory with some departments or research institutes of such universities or academies as Kansas State University and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign of USA, University of Salford and University of Warwick of England, University of Tsukuba, Ehime University, and Hokkaido University of Japan, University of Lavel and University of Carleton of Canada, Enesad University and Bourgogne University of France, Khabarovsk State University of Russia, Academy of Agricultural Science of Ukraine, and others. Two international conferences were organized by this laboratory and the members of the laboratory attended international conferences on terrain-vehicle systems, agricultural engineering, and agricultural mechanization for 50 person-times. Several scholars of this laboratory gave several key speeches and thematic reports in international conferences and in Chinese academic conferences. Many scholars were invited from other countries' universities for visiting the laboratory and giving lectures or conducting collaborative research for 45 person-times. The laboratory is the cooperation undertaker of Jilin University in the China-Japan Core University Academic Exchange Project since 2001. The laboratory has impactful and resultful cooperation with many universities, academies, research institutes, and some big enterprises in China.
The constructing goal of this laboratory in five years is as follows. Some special preponderance will be formed in research of bionic theories and bionic technologies based on the interdiscipline feature of bionics. Aiming at international development fronts of modern science and technology, the bionic theory systems will be established. A laboratory academic troop of high level will be cultivated, some distinguished scholars with a certain influence internationally will be trained, and all middle and young scholars will be cultivated to be Ph. D gainers. National projects and key projects of the state ministries or provinces and the key projects from corporations will be undertaken, and some new and high bionic technologies with self-independent knowledge right will be created. The laboratory plans to recruit Ph. D program students of 20, master program students of 20, and postdoctoral scholars of 2 each year. The laboratory will purchase some new apparatuses and instruments to keep or reach international level of the experimental conditions. The opening ability will be enhanced and the opening level will be increased for the laboratory. The international academic exchanges and collaborative research will further be enhanced through broadening both internationally collaborative channels and cooperation modes. It can be forecast that the Key Laboratory for Terrain-Machine Bionics Engineering will become a research base of bionic theory and bionic technology of terrain machinery and a cultivating base of high level scholars and postgraduates.