Atsushi Matsue

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Atsushi Matsue is a pioneer in the development of micro aerial vehicles, with his foundational work centering on the autonomous navigation of small, lightweight helicopters. His most-cited paper, "Navigation of Small and Lightweight Helicopter" (2005, 21 citations), introduced a groundbreaking battery-powered helicopter weighing just 200 grams with a 35 cm rotor diameter. This work demonstrated fully autonomous indoor hovering flight without a human operator, utilizing infrared range finders for wall-relative positioning. Matsue’s major contribution lies in proving that stable, untethered flight could be achieved at an unprecedented scale, directly influencing the design of modern nano-drones and indoor surveillance systems. By solving critical challenges in miniaturized flight control and sensor integration, his research laid the groundwork for subsequent advances in swarm robotics and confined-space aerial operations. Though his citation count reflects a focused niche, the practical impact of his work is evident in the proliferation of palm-sized autonomous drones used today for inspection, mapping, and environmental monitoring.