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Zhao Lab
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The lab explores flying, walking, and grasping with aerial robots that have articulated bodies.
AboutAbout the lab
Building new robotics on a foundation of mechanical dynamics.
Zhao Lab (DRAGON Lab) researches new robotics grounded in mechanical dynamics.
At the center of its work are robots with rotors built into each segment of a jointed body, which allows them to fly.
The lab works on the design and control of robots that can not only fly but also walk on the ground and grasp objects in midair.
The lab also researches robots that autonomously patrol and inspect factories and forests.
Key terms
- mechanical dynamics
- The field that deals with how machines and objects move and vibrate when forces act on them
- rotor
- A spinning blade that pushes air downward to lift the aircraft. A drone's propeller is one example
- aerial manipulation
- Operations in which a flying robot uses its arms or body to touch or grasp surrounding objects
NewsLab news
Paper accepted to IEEE T-ASE
Paper accepted to the international conference SII 2026
Paper accepted to AIS
Paper accepted to the international conference IEEE RO-MAN 2025
Zhao Lab (DRAGON Lab) established
ResearchResearch themes
The lab studies the design, modeling, and control of new robots, centered on its original aerial robots with articulated structures. Its work covers locomotion that combines flight and ground movement, manipulation in the air, and robots that work in real-world field settings.
*Illustrative imageArticulated Aerial Robots
These are original robots with rotors built into each jointed segment, which allows them to fly. The lab has developed robots such as "Hydrus," which changes its shape within a plane, and "Dragon," which can transform freely.
*Illustrative imageLocomotion Combining Flying and Walking
The lab develops robots with multiple legs, each leg segment containing rotors, so that they can both walk on the ground and fly through the air.
*Illustrative imageAerial Manipulation
Using articulated aerial robots, the lab works on manipulation in which a robot touches and grasps surrounding objects while remaining in flight.
*Illustrative imageField Robotics
This research focuses on robots that operate autonomously at real-world sites. The lab also takes part in robotics competitions (Robotics Challenge).
MembersFaculty
The members of Zhao Lab consist of faculty, postdoctoral researchers, a secretary, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, and exchange students.As of 2026
- LecturerMoju ZhaoPublications ↗
VoicesStudent voices
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Quadrixette” HaSe / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Articulated Aerial Robots: “Quadrotor yaw torque” Gabriel Hoffmann / CC BY 2.5 (cropped)
- Locomotion Combining Flying and Walking: “Hexapod walking robot” Mdenton (talk) (Uploads) / Public domain (cropped)
- Aerial Manipulation: “Robotic Hand at Hannover Messe 2016” NearEMPTiness / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Field Robotics: “UAV tethered flight” Stahlmann / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (山川研究室): “Prototype robot parallèle PAR4” FrancoisPierrot34 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (梅野研究室): “SEM-image-showing-crack-propagation-of-TaCCNTsSiC” Qiaoyun Xie, Sylvanus N. Wosu / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (小穴研究室): “Lab on a Chip ( )” National Institute of Standards and Technology / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (泉・波田野研究室): “Steel wire rope on a drum” W.carter / CC0 (cropped)
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