Hongduo Qi

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About

Hongduo Qi is a pioneering roboticist whose work bridges bio-inspired design and practical industrial automation. His primary research areas include flapping-wing aerial robotics, reconfigurable mechanisms, and autonomous inspection systems for critical infrastructure. Qi’s most impactful contribution is the development of RoboFalcon 2.0, a flapping-wing robot that achieves bird-style self-takeoff by adopting reconfigurable mechanisms—a feat rarely realized in robotics. This 2025 work (8 citations) demonstrates how mimicking the specialized wingbeat kinematics of flying vertebrates can enhance aerodynamic performance at low airspeeds, opening new possibilities for agile, bird-like drones. Earlier, Qi contributed to the evolution of substation inspection robotics, co-authoring a 2013 paper (4 citations) on the humanoid design of the fourth-generation inspection robot for the national grid. This system uses non-contact infrared, image, and audio sensors to autonomously identify thermal defects and abnormal appearances, sending real-time alerts to staff. Together, these achievements showcase Qi’s dual talent for advancing fundamental bio-robotic principles and deploying reliable, field-tested automation solutions for energy infrastructure.