Papers
19
Total Citations
529
H-Index
10
About
Feifei Qian is a pioneering roboticist and physicist whose research sits at the dynamic intersection of locomotion science, soft matter physics, and dynamical systems — a field she has helped define as "robophysics." Her work investigates the fundamental principles governing how robots and animals move effectively across complex, deformable terrains such as sand, soil, and granular substrates. Her highly cited 2016 review on locomotion robophysics (284 citations) established a comprehensive theoretical framework for understanding self-propulsion across disciplines, while her experimental studies with lightweight robots like DynaRoACH revealed how ground fluidization and appendage design critically shape locomotor performance on flowable surfaces. Qian has made significant contributions to understanding heterogeneous terrain navigation, demonstrating how robots can exploit obstacle interactions — rather than avoid them — through anticipatory control strategies and collision dynamics. Her research extends beyond robotics into environmental science, developing field-deployable robotic systems for measuring wind erosion and soil erodibility in situ. With over 490 total citations across her most impactful work, Qian's interdisciplinary contributions have advanced both the theoretical foundations of movement science and the practical design of robots capable of operating in real-world, unstructured environments.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
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- 3Ground fluidization promotes rapid running of a lightweight robot34 citations · 2013
- 4Ground robotic measurement of aeolian processes24 citations · 2017
- 5Dynamics of scattering in undulatory active collisions20 citations · 2019
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- 8Walking and running on yielding and fluidizing ground15 citations · 2012
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