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About

Yuyi Zhai is a pioneering roboticist whose work bridges the challenging domains of polar exploration and underwater robotics. Her research centers on the design, motion control, and energy autonomy of spherical mobile robots, with a particular focus on applications in extreme environments like Antarctica. Zhai’s major contributions include developing a fuzzy control system for large-size spherical robots, solving critical balance and motion problems that had previously limited their practical deployment. She also advanced the field of underwater robotics by designing a novel spherical robot with a fully symmetrical structure and dual propellers, enabling free movement beneath the surface—a design uniquely suited for underwater detection. Notably, her 2010 paper on applying disturbance observers to sub-mini underwater robot propulsion control remains her most cited work (28 citations), demonstrating her early impact on robot stability in unpredictable environments. More recently, Zhai has tackled the challenge of continuous energy supply for polar robots, proposing wind-powered energy harvesters that could enable long-duration, long-range Antarctic exploration. Her work represents a significant step toward self-sustaining robotic systems capable of operating in the world’s most remote and hostile regions.