Dirk Peter Reinhardt

Dirk Peter Reinhardt is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Technical Cybernetics at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering. His research focuses on advanced control systems for unmanned aerial vehicles with particular expertise in nonlinear model predictive control and reinforcement learning applications.

Dr. Reinhardt's research spans several key areas in control engineering:

• Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC) for UAV flight systems
• Reinforcement Learning applications in flight control
• UAV attitude and path-following control systems
• Flight dynamics modeling and system identification
• Embedded control systems for autonomous aircraft
• Sensor calibration and wind tunnel testing

His publication record from 2019-2024 demonstrates a progression from fundamental control theory to increasingly complex real-world applications, with numerous field experiments validating theoretical approaches. Dr. Reinhardt frequently collaborates with researchers at NTNU, particularly with Tor Arne Johansen and Sebastien Nicolas Gros, and has published in top venues including IEEE Transactions, IFAC World Congress, and International Conference on Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

Dr. Reinhardt's laboratory work involves extensive flight testing of fixed-wing UAVs, including the Skywalker X8 platform, with a focus on validating control algorithms under various conditions including challenging scenarios like icing conditions. His recent research shows growing interest in data-efficient learning methods and robust control for adverse flight conditions.