Friday, October 2, 2026
2:00pm-3:00pm
Mechanical Engineering Building, MC102
5 King's College Road
Interested members of the U of T community who would like to attend the seminars can email Kendra Hunter at kendra.hunter@utoronto.ca
Professor Moju Zhao
Department of Mechanical Engineering at The University of Tokyo
Morphological Diversity in Aerial Robotics: Towards Cross-Domain Capability
Abstract
Over the past decade, research in aerial robotics has grown rapidly. Beyond the conventional quadrotor configuration, a wide range of novel morphologies have been proposed to enable advanced maneuverability and aerial manipulation. In this talk, I will introduce diverse morphological designs from DRAGON Lab, including articulated structures, soft-bodied systems, and flapping-wing platforms. These designs unlock unique aerial capabilities such as snake-like maneuvering, forceful manipulation, and in-flight self-assembly. I will further discuss how morphological innovation in aerial robots can extend their functionality to underwater and terrestrial domains.
Biography
Prof. Moju Zhao is currently an Associate Professor at The University of Tokyo. He received Doctor Degree from the Department of Mechano-Informatics, The University of Tokyo, in 2018. His research interests are mechanical design, modelling and control, motion planning, and vision based recognition in aerial robotics. His main achievement is the articulated aerial robots like DRAGON and SPIDAR, and he has received several awards in conference and journal, including the Best Paper Award in IEEE ICRA 2018. He is also the Associate Editor of IEEE T-RO from 2026.
MIE’s Distinguished Seminar Series features top international researchers and leading experts across major areas of Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering. The speakers present about their latest research and offer their perspectives on the current state of their field. The seminars are part of the program requirements for MIE Master of Applied Science and PhD students. The Distinguished Seminar Series is coordinated for 2026-2027 by Professor Enid Montague.
View all upcoming MIE Distinguished Seminars.