Erik-Jan Van Kampen
Papers
5
Total Citations
97
H-Index
4
About
Erik-Jan Van Kampen is a leading researcher in autonomous flight, reinforcement learning, and bio-inspired vision for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). His work bridges the gap between theoretical control methods and real-world drone applications, with a particular focus on enabling Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) and nano quadcopters to operate safely in unknown or cluttered environments. Van Kampen’s most-cited paper (39 citations) introduces an optic-flow-based algorithm for autonomous landing, allowing drones to identify flat surfaces without relying on GPS. He has also pioneered the use of distributional reinforcement learning for risk-aware navigation, as demonstrated in his 2023 study (24 citations) where nano drones learn to assess and adapt to collision risks in real time. His 2015 work (19 citations) was among the first to successfully apply reinforcement learning to quadrotor guidance in actual flight, not just simulation. Beyond these core contributions, Van Kampen has explored stereo vision for obstacle avoidance on flapping-wing MAVs and used the DLR Robot Motion Simulator for aircraft upset recovery research. His work consistently emphasizes practical, safety-critical autonomy, making him a key figure in advancing drone intelligence for real-world deployment.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Optic-Flow Based Slope Estimation for Autonomous Landing39 citations · 2013
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- 4Stereo Vision Based Obstacle Avoidance on Flapping Wing MAVs12 citations · 2013
- 5