Charlie Cullins

University of South Florida St. Petersburg

Papers

Total Citations

219

H-Index

About

Dr. Charlie Cullins is a pioneering roboticist whose work centers on autonomous systems for extreme environment exploration and disaster response. His most influential research demonstrates the cooperative deployment of unmanned sea surface and micro aerial vehicles, a field he helped establish. His landmark 2008 study, cited 219 times, details the first-ever coordinated use of an unmanned helicopter and a prototype water surface vehicle to survey damage following Hurricane Wilma—a Category 5 storm that struck Florida in 2005. This work, conducted through the Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue at the University of South Florida, showcased how heterogeneous robots could operate in tandem under real-world crisis conditions, providing critical aerial and maritime data. Cullins’ contributions have fundamentally shaped the design of resilient, multi-domain robotic teams for hazardous environments, influencing both academic research and practical emergency management. His legacy lies in proving that autonomous vehicles can be effectively deployed in the most challenging natural disasters, setting a standard for future cooperative robotics in search and rescue operations.