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About

John Thon is a robotics and aquatic engineering researcher whose work sits at the intersection of bio-inspired robotics, underwater vehicle design, and environmental monitoring. He is best known for pioneering the development of the **gliding robotic fish**, an innovative autonomous underwater vehicle that merges the energy efficiency of underwater gliders with the high maneuverability of fin-actuated robotic fish. His landmark 2014 paper on the miniature underwater glider, which has garnered 88 citations, demonstrated the practical design and experimental validation of this hybrid locomotion concept, establishing it as a compelling platform for mobile aquatic sensing. Thon's earlier work in 2012 and 2010 laid the theoretical and modeling foundations for this technology, including analytical frameworks for understanding robotic fish turning dynamics. His research has evolved to address real-world ecological challenges, with later contributions exploring how gliding robotic fish can serve as mobile receiver platforms for acoustic animal telemetry — bridging robotics and aquatic biology. With over 175 cumulative citations, his body of work has meaningfully advanced the field of underwater robotics and offers promising tools for monitoring spatially complex and ecologically critical aquatic environments.