Jack Kilian

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Jack Kilian is a researcher whose work sits at the intersection of aerial robotics and sustainable energy, focusing on the design and development of novel, transformable unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). His key research areas include solar-powered flight, morphing airframes, and hybrid UAV configurations that overcome the inherent trade-offs between fixed-wing endurance and multi-rotor maneuverability. Kilian’s major contribution is the pioneering design of the SUAV:Q, a transformable solar-powered UAV that can reconfigure its airframe mid-flight, allowing it to operate efficiently in both high-speed, long-endurance cruising and low-altitude, hovering flight modes. His foundational 2016 paper on this design has garnered 30 citations, while his subsequent 2017 experimental validation paper has received 16 citations, establishing a strong impact in the field of unmanned systems. Notably, Kilian’s work addresses a critical gap in aerial robotics by enabling a single platform to perform diverse tasks—from wide-area surveying to precise, close-quarters inspection—without the limitations of traditional fixed-wing or quadrotor designs. His innovative approach to integrating solar cells with a transformable structure marks a significant step toward fully autonomous, long-duration, and versatile aerial robots.