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About

Lingqi Zeng is a pioneering researcher in human-friendly robotics, focusing on collision avoidance and physical safety in human-robot interaction. Their work addresses two critical challenges: enabling mobile robots to navigate safely among unpredictable dynamic obstacles—particularly humans—and designing manipulators that minimize injury risk during accidental contact. Zeng’s most influential paper, “Mobile Robot Collision Avoidance in Human Environments” (32 citations), introduces novel strategies for avoiding moving obstacles with unpredictable direction changes, a fundamental requirement for service robots sharing spaces with people. Their 2006 study on a multisensor system for safer human-robot interaction (17 citations) integrates passive infrared sensors, cameras, and microwave sensors to track humans in robot vicinity. Zeng also made significant contributions to physical safety through foam-covered robotic manipulators, demonstrating that elastomeric foam coverings can substantially reduce impact forces (13 citations). Their doctoral thesis, “Design and Control of Human-Friendly Robots” (5 citations), synthesizes these contributions. Zeng’s latest work on a six-degree-of-freedom upper limb rehabilitation robot (2024) extends their expertise to medical robotics, showcasing tight-coupled dynamic interactive control. With over 90 total citations spanning two decades, Zeng’s research remains foundational for developing robots that are both capable and safe in human environments.