About

Achim J. Lilienthal is a prominent robotics researcher whose work spans mobile robot perception, autonomous navigation, and robotic olfaction — the use of robots to detect, localize, and map airborne chemical signals. Based at Örebro University, Lilienthal has made foundational contributions to 3D scan registration, a critical capability for robot mapping. His development of the Normal Distributions Transform (NDT) algorithm and its variants, including work on fast 3D NDT representations, has profoundly influenced how autonomous robots build accurate spatial maps — his 2007 paper alone has garnered over 760 citations. Equally significant is his pioneering research in gas distribution modeling, including the influential Kernel DM+V algorithm, and gas source localization using both ground robots and aerial drones. His 2013 work on bio-inspired algorithms for drone-based gas source localization (222 citations) and the remarkable Smelling Nano Aerial Vehicle demonstrate his commitment to pushing technological boundaries. Beyond sensing, Lilienthal contributed to socially aware robotics through the SPENCER airport guidance robot project. With multiple papers exceeding 150 citations, his interdisciplinary research continues to shape autonomous systems, environmental monitoring, and human-robot interaction.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

44
H-Index
174
Papers
6,492
Total Citations
37
Avg Citations/Paper
🏆 Most Cited Paper
Scan registration for autonomous mining vehicles using 3D‐NDT
767 citations · 2007
📈 Most Prolific Year: 2016 (19 Papers)
🤝 Key Collaborators: 231
🏛 Institutions: Örebro University, University of Tübingen, Örebro University Hospital, Technical University of Munich, Machine Intelligence Research Institute, Robotics Research (United States)

Top Papers

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Key Collaborators

Contact & Links

Available for collaboration
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