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About

Jia-Ruei Chiu is a robotics researcher whose work focuses on whole-body control, legged locomotion, and mobile manipulation, with a particular emphasis on collision avoidance and dynamic interaction in complex environments. His most impactful contribution is a real-time, collision-free Model Predictive Control (MPC) framework for whole-body dynamic locomotion and manipulation, which enforces self- and environment-collision avoidance as soft constraints within a multi-contact optimal control problem—a paper that has garnered 69 citations. This work enables legged robots to navigate and manipulate objects safely and efficiently in cluttered spaces. Chiu has also advanced quadrupedal robotics through the design and control of Magnecko, a magnetic climbing robot, and has explored obstacle-avoidant leader-following behaviors for personal robotic assistants in industrial and healthcare settings. Earlier in his career, he developed a running hexapod robot with differentiated front and hind leg morphology to mimic animal-like running dynamics. His research bridges theoretical control methods with practical robotic systems, contributing to the growing field of legged mobile manipulation and human-robot interaction.