Yuqing Du

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About

Yuqing Du is a robotics researcher whose work focuses on autonomous navigation in human-centered environments, particularly for sidewalk delivery robots. Her major contributions center on developing pedestrian-aware navigation systems that enable robots to safely and efficiently share public spaces with people. In her highly cited 2019 paper, "Group Surfing: A Pedestrian-Based Approach to Sidewalk Robot Navigation" (38 citations), Du introduced a novel framework that treats pedestrian movement patterns as dynamic flows—similar to traffic on roads—allowing robots to "surf" within these natural human streams rather than disrupting them. This approach marked a significant departure from traditional obstacle-avoidance methods, emphasizing social compliance and seamless integration into crowded sidewalks. Her earlier 2018 work, "Sidewalk delivery robot navigation: a pedestrian-based approach," laid the groundwork for this paradigm, though it has garnered fewer citations. Du's research has practical implications for last-mile delivery services and urban robotics, addressing key challenges in human-robot interaction and mobile robot navigation. Her work is particularly notable for bridging insights from pedestrian dynamics and autonomous systems, offering a scalable solution for robots operating in unstructured, pedestrian-rich environments.