About Me

Hello, I am currently a researcher with the TAMS Group, led by Prof. Jianwei Zhang, at the University of Hamburg. I obtained my Ph.D. from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, where I was supervised by Prof. Tin Lun Lam. My research interests focus on modular robotics and multimodal systems.

News

[02/2026] One paper selected as the cover article of IJRR.

[02/2026] One paper accepted by Advanced Intelligent Systems.

[01/2026] One paper accepted by Science Robotics.

[01/2026] Appointed Youth Editor for SmartBot.

[01/2026] Appointed Associate Editor for IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L).

[08/2025] Appointed Associate Editor for ICRA.

[07/2025] One paper accepted by the International Journal of Robotics Research (IJRR).

[05/2025] One paper accepted by IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics (T-MECH).

[05/2025] Our paper was selected as an ICRA Best Paper Award Finalist.

[04/2025] Selected as an RSS Pioneers 2025.

[01/2025] Appointed Associate Editor for IROS.

[01/2025] Two papers accepted to ICRA 2025.

[09/2024] One paper accepted by the International Journal of Robotics Research (IJRR).

[08/2024] One paper accepted by the International Journal of Robotics Research (IJRR).

[08/2024] Received the Best Poster Award at the Annual Conference of the China Robotics Society (中国机器人学术年会最佳海报奖).

[07/2024] Successfully defended my PhD dissertation.

[10/2023] Our work “DISG” was featured in IEEE Spectrum.

[08/2023] One paper accepted by IEEE Transactions on Robotics (T-RO).

[07/2022] One paper accepted by IEEE Transactions on Robotics (T-RO).

Selected Publications

• Guanqi Liang, Auke Jan Ijspeert, Mark Yim, Tin Lun Lam, “Modular Reconfigurable Robots: Towards On-Demand Multifunctional Applications,” Science Robotics, 2026.

• Guanqi Liang, Di Wu, Yuxiao Tu, Tin Lun Lam, “Decoding Modular Reconfigurable Robots: A Survey on Mechanisms and Design,” International Journal of Robotics Research (IJRR), 2025.

• Guanqi Liang, Lijun Zong, Tin Lun Lam, “DISG: Driving-Integrated Spherical Gear Enables Singularity-Free Full-Range Joint Motion,” IEEE Transactions on Robotics (T-RO), 2023.

• Guanqi Liang, Rong Ou, Yuxiao Tu, Di Wu, Tin Lun Lam, “S-DISG: Position and Torque Sensing for Driving Integrated Spherical Gear,” IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics (T-MECH), 2025.

• Guanqi Liang, Rong Ou, Peiqi Wang, Xianghong Wang, Tin Lun Lam, “Collaborative Visual Localization for Modular Self-Reconfigurable Robots,” Advanced Intelligent Systems, 2026.

• Guanqi Liang, “Freeform Modular Robots: Reconfigurability via Swarm Spheres,” Robotics: Science and Systems. [RSS Pioneers 2025]

• Guanqi Liang, Yuxiao Tu, Lijun Zong, Junfeng Chen, Tin Lun Lam, “Energy Sharing Mechanism for a Freeform Robotic System - FreeBOT,” IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2022.

• Guanqi Liang, Haobo Luo, Ming Li, Huihuan Qian, Tin Lun Lam, “FreeBOT: A Freeform Modular Self-reconfigurable Robot with Arbitrary Connection Point - Design and Implementation,” IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), 2020. [IROS Best Paper Award on Robot Mechanisms and Design]

• Yuxiao Tu, Guanqi Liang, Di Wu, Xinzhuo Li, Tin Lun Lam, “Locomotion and self-reconfiguration autonomy for spherical freeform modular robots ,” International Journal of Robotics Research (IJRR), 2025. [Cover Article]

• Di Wu, Guanqi Liang, Yuxiao Tu, Lijun Zong, Tin Lun Lam, “Linear-Time Quasi-Static Stability Detection for Modular Reconfigurable Robots,” International Journal of Robotics Research (IJRR), 2025.

• Lijun Zong, Guanqi Liang, Tin Lun Lam, “Kinematics Modeling and Control of Spherical Rolling Contact Joint and Manipulator,” IEEE Transactions on Robotics (T-RO), 2023.

• Yuming Liu, Qiu Zheng, Yuxiao Tu, Yuan Gao, Guanqi Liang, Tin Lun Lam, “Configuration-Adaptive Visual Relative Localization for Spherical Modular Self-Reconfigurable Robots,” IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2025. [ICRA Best Paper Award Finalist]

• Peiqi Wang, Guanqi Liang, Da Zhao, Tin Lun Lam, “Enhancing Connection Strength in Freeform Modular Reconfigurable Robots through Holey Sphere and Gripper Mechanisms,” IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2025.

• Rong Ou, Guanqi Liang, Tin Lun Lam, “FPECMV: Learning-based Fault-Tolerant Collaborative Localization under Limited Connectivity,” IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), 2023

• Yuxiao Tu, Guanqi Liang, Tin Lun Lam*, “FreeSN: A Freeform Strut-node Structured Modular Self-reconfigurable Robot - Design and Implementation,” IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2022.

• Yuxiao Tu, Guanqi Liang, Tin Lun Lam*, “Graph Convolutional Network based Configuration Detection for Freeform Modular Robot Using Magnetic Sensor Array,” IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2021.

• Ming Li, Guanqi Liang, Haobo Luo, Huihuan Qian, Tin Lun Lam, “Robot-to-Robot Relative Pose Estimation based on Semidefinite Relaxation Optimization,” IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), 2020.

Awards

• RSS Pioneers, Robotics: Science and Systems (RSS), 2025

• ICRA Best Paper Award Finalist, ICRA, 2025

• IROS Best Paper Award on Robot Mechanisms and Design, IROS, 2020

• Best Poster Award, Annual Conference of the China Robotics Society, 2024

• AIRS Talent PhD Fellowships, Shenzhen Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics for Society, 2021

• AIRS Talent PhD Fellowships, Shenzhen Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics for Society, 2020

• National Scholarship, Ministry of Education, China, 2018

• National Scholarship, Ministry of Education, China, 2017

• National Scholarship, Ministry of Education, China, 2016

Press

• IEEE Spectrum: Metal Spheres Swarm Together to Create Freeform Modular Robots.

• NHK: 世界!オモシロ学者のスゴ動画祭2：可能性は無限大！夢の合体ロボ！

• Engadget: Magnetic FreeBOT orbs work together to climb large obstacles.

• TechXplore: Magnetic FreeBOT balls make giant leap for robotics.

• DeepTech: 《超能陆战队》磁性球体机器人成真？中国内地高校近十年来首获机器人顶会IROS最佳论文奖

• 机器人大讲堂: 现实版《超能陆战队》：港中深「新型自重构机器人」获IROS最佳机器人设计提名

Talks

• Collaborative Visual Localization for Modular Self-Reconfigurable Robots, TAMS Seminar, Hamburg, Dec 2025

• Freeform Modular Reconfigurable Robots, Texas A&M University, Nov 2025

• Freeform Modular Robots: Reconfigurability via Swarm Spheres, RSS Pioneers, Los Angeles, Jun 2025

• Freeform Cellular Robots, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Feb 2025

• Freeform Modular Reconfigurable Robots, Hunan University, Dec 2024

• DISG: Driving-Integrated Spherical Gear for Full-Range Motion, IROS, Abu Dhabi, Oct 2024

• Freeform Cellular Robots: Design, Modeling, Sensing and Control, University of Hamburg, Oct 2024

• MultiRobotLearn: Open-Source Multi-Robot RL Framework, ROBIO, Koh Samui, Dec 2023

• Energy Sharing Mechanism for Freeform Robotic System, ICRA, Philadelphia, May 2022

• FreeBOT: A Freeform Modular Robot with Arbitrary Connection, IROS, Las Vegas, Oct 2020

Service

Editorial Service

• Associate Editor, IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L)

• Associate Editor, IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)

• Associate Editor, IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS)

• Youth Editor, SmartBot

Reviewer

• Science Robotics (SR)

• International Journal of Robotics Research (IJRR)

• IEEE Transactions on Robotics (T-RO)

• IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics (T-MECH)

• Autonomous Robots (AURO)

• Journal of Field Robotics (JFR)

• IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L)

• Robotics: Science and Systems (RSS)

• IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)

• IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS)