Yicheng Chen

Yicheng Chen

PhD student in robotics

The University of Tokyo

Hello! I’m Yicheng.

I am currently a PhD student at the DRAGON Lab, The University of Tokyo, supervised by Junior Associate Prof. Moju Zhao. I am passionate about aerial robotics, with a focus on motion planning research, from foundational algorithms to real-world applications.

I obtained my MSc and BEng degree from Beihang University.

Interests
  • Aerial Robotics
  • Motion Planning
  • Optimization
  • Embodied AI
Education

  • PhD student in Robotics, Oct. 2024 -

    Department of Mechanical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo

  • MSc in Control Science and Engineering, Sept. 2021 - Jun. 2024

    School of Automation Science and Electrical Engineering, Beihang University

  • BEng in Automation, Sept. 2017 - Jun. 2021

    School of Automation Science and Electrical Engineering, Beihang University

Featured Work

Yicheng Chen, Jinjie Li, Wenyuan Qin, Yongzhao Hua, Xiwang Dong, Qingdong Li
March, 2025 IROS 2025
Learning to Initialize Trajectory Optimization for Vision-Based Autonomous Flight in Unknown Environments
Learning to Initialize Trajectory Optimization for Vision-Based Autonomous Flight in Unknown Environments

We introduce NEO-Planner, which uses a neural network to initialize trajectory optimization for autonomous drones, cutting computation by 26% without sacrificing quality.
PDF Cite Code Video

Publications

Haokun Liu, Zhaoqi Ma, Yunong Li, Junichiro Sugihara, Yicheng Chen, Jinjie Li, Moju Zhao (2025). Hierarchical Language Models for Semantic Navigation and Manipulation in an Aerial-Ground Robotic System. Advanced Intelligent Systems.

PDF

Yicheng Chen, Jinjie Li, Wenyuan Qin, Yongzhao Hua, Xiwang Dong, Qingdong Li (2025). Learning to Initialize Trajectory Optimization for Vision-Based Autonomous Flight in Unknown Environments. IROS 2025.

PDF Cite Code Video

Yicheng Chen, Lingling Wang (2022). Adaptively Dynamic RRT*-Connect: Path Planning for UAVs Against Dynamic Obstacles. CACRE 2022.

Cite DOI Slides

Huan Chang, Yicheng Chen, Baochang Zhang, David Doermann (2021). Multi-UAV Mobile Edge Computing and Path Planning Platform Based on Reinforcement Learning. IEEE Transactions on Emerging Topics in Computational Intelligence.

PDF Cite DOI

Projects

Aug 4, 2023
Aeriva: A Mini Autonomous Quadrotor Platform
Aeriva: A Mini Autonomous Quadrotor Platform

I designed and assembled this safe and agile 3.5-inch drone. It has been used in various scientific research and competitions in my lab.
Jun 20, 2023
2023 Huashan UAV Challenge - Champion
2023 Huashan UAV Challenge - Champion

led a team to win the 1st place in the 2023 Huashan UAV Challenge.
May 20, 2022
SLAM Practice on Unmanned Ground Vehicles
SLAM Practice on Unmanned Ground Vehicles

Implemented some basic SLAM algorithms on a TurtleBot and an Ackerman mini vehicle.
Apr 25, 2022
Modeling and Simulation for Quadcopter
Modeling and Simulation for Quadcopter

Modeled and simulated quadcopters in MATLAB and Simulink, implemented functions including position control, path following, and formation flight.
Jun 8, 2020
Application of Machine Learning in Medical Image Classification
Application of Machine Learning in Medical Image Classification

Use machine learning approaches to help preliminary diagnosis of chest radiographs: classify radiographs into 3 classes – COVID, normal, and viral pneumonia with the highest possible accuracy.
Code Slides
Dec 23, 2018
2018 Beihang Robot Competition
2018 Beihang Robot Competition

Built an Arduino-based robot with the following functions: line tracking, obstacle avoidance, object grabbing, and Bluetooth remote control.

Moments

I love playing sports, such as long-distance running 🏃, hiking 🥾, cycling 🚴, table tennis 🏓, and snowboarding 🏂.