Philipp Oettershagen

ETH Zurich

Papers

6

Total Citations

680

H-Index

6

About

Philipp Oettershagen is a leading researcher in aerial robotics, whose work bridges the critical gap between algorithmic efficiency and real-world endurance. His primary research areas include inspection path planning, solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and autonomous long-endurance flight. Oettershagen’s major contributions are twofold. First, he developed a novel, fast algorithm for structural inspection path planning that uses iterative viewpoint resampling on triangular meshes, enabling efficient 3D coverage for complex structures—a method that has garnered over 200 citations. Second, he spearheaded the design of the AtlantikSolar UAV, a 6.9 kg hand-launchable solar-powered aircraft. This platform achieved a world-record 81-hour continuous flight for all aircraft under 50 kg, demonstrating unprecedented endurance. His subsequent work on robotic technologies for solar-powered UAVs advanced fully autonomous, updraft-aware sensing for multi-day search-and-rescue missions, tackling the challenges of low payload capacity and tight energy margins. With over 500 total citations across his key papers, Oettershagen’s impact is clear: he has not only created foundational algorithms for aerial inspection but also proven the viability of perpetual flight for critical applications, from disaster response to environmental monitoring.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

6
H-Index
6
Papers
680
Total Citations
113
Avg Citations/Paper
🏆 Most Cited Paper
Structural inspection path planning via iterative viewpoint resampling with application to aerial robotics
206 citations · 2015
📈 Most Prolific Year: 2015 (4 Papers)
🤝 Key Collaborators: 19
🏛 Institutions: ETH Zurich

Top Papers

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Key Collaborators

Contact & Links

Available for collaboration
Content generated · 13 days ago