Roland Stelzer

De Montfort University, Austrian Society for Systems Engineering and Automation

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Roland Stelzer is a pioneering figure in the field of robotic sailing, a niche yet rapidly advancing area of autonomous marine robotics. His research focuses on developing fully autonomous sailboats capable of long-term, unsupervised missions, with a particular emphasis on energy efficiency and robust navigation. Stelzer’s major contributions include the design and field-testing of prototype robotic sailing boats, demonstrating that wind-powered platforms can navigate safely and reliably without human intervention. His most cited work, "History and Recent Developments in Robotic Sailing" (2011, 22 citations), provides a comprehensive overview of the field, establishing a foundational reference for subsequent research. In a notable study on energy savings (2012, 9 citations), he explored the use of a balanced rig to reduce power consumption, directly addressing the critical challenge of endurance in autonomous systems. Stelzer also contributed to interdisciplinary applications, such as using robot sailboats for passive acoustic monitoring of marine mammals (2012, 4 citations), highlighting the real-world impact of his work. Through his hands-on approach—building and testing prototypes in real-world conditions—Stelzer has advanced the practicality and viability of robotic sailing for environmental monitoring and long-duration oceanographic research.