Intelligent Unmanned Aircraft Systems Lab
Research Field
Ying-Chih Lai is currently a Professor with the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, NCKU. He directs the NCKU Intelligent Unmanned Aircraft Systems Laboratory.
Prof. Lai has been involved in research on unmanned aerial vehicle (UAS) systems and navigation control for over 20 years. He leads the intelligent Unmanned Aircraft Systems (iUAS) Lab, which conducts a variety of research projects related to UAS, focusing particularly on intelligent systems designed for fixed-wing aircraft. The research covers areas such as comprehensive UAS development, intelligent systems, swarm systems, flight control, visual navigation, and flight safety. Professor Lai has gained significant experience in the development and flight verification of intelligent UAS systems. Additionally, he is dedicated to combining theoretical knowledge with practical applications, collaborating with major UAV industry companies in Taiwan to aquire the key technologies of UAS.
Prof. Lai has been dedicated to the research and development of intelligent and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems in recent years. His research areas include: UAV system development and application, flight control and avionics systems, navigation and positioning technology, flight safety, intelligent systems, and mechatronics integration. The current topic for internship students is Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) simulation of VTOL UAVs.
Prof. Lai has guided students to win numerous awards in various competitions. In 2022, he served as a judge for the R&D group of the 2nd "Leading Cup - UAV Creative Application Competition." In both 2021 and 2022, he was a judge for the flight group of the TDK Cup National College Creative Design and Production Competition. In 2021, he coached the National Cheng Kung University Aerospace UAV team in the "Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Creative Design Competition," where they won first place in both the exterior design and written report categories. In 2022, he guided students in their participation in the "2nd Leading Cup UAV Creative Application Competition," which resulted in an Excellence Award and a prize of NT$100,000. Most recently, in 2023, he led students in the 28th College and University Information Application Service Innovation Competition, where they achieved second place in the "UAV Innovation Technology Group - Practical Demonstration" category, along with another prize of NT$100,000.
Prof. Lai received his Ph.D. degree in aeronautics and astronautics from National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), Taiwan, in 2010.