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En man som står bredvid en drönare på toppen av en asfalt.
En man som står bredvid en drönare på toppen av en asfalt.
En man som står bredvid en drönare på toppen av en asfalt.
Leading research
in drones and swarms

Drone and Swarm Research at LiU

Drones are changing the way we explore, monitor and collaborate – in the air, on land and underwater. Linköping University is an active and prominent institution in drone research.

Research in drones and drone swarms is a cross-disciplinary and rapidly growing field. At Linköping University, research spans from safety for critical infrastructure and people in proximity to the systems, to control engineering, perception, AI, transparency and user interaction.

Researchers at the Department of Computer and Information Science (IDA), the Department of Electrical Engineering (ISY), the Department of Management and Engineering (IEI), the Department of Science and Technology (ITN) and the Department of Thematic Studies (TEMA) conduct internationally leading research in close collaboration with Swedish and international universities, research institutes, and companies.

The university is also an active partner in WASP WARA Public Safety – Sweden’s national collaboration arena for research and innovation in drone technology and autonomous systems.

The university offers a range of physical and virtual environments designed for education and research in drone technology. These enable a continuous development process from simulation to real‑world experiments, the so‑called sim‑to‑real approach. Examples include Terra at IDA, Visionen at ISY, and laboratories at IEI/Flumes and ITN. Together, these environments cover the entire development chain from design and manufacturing to research in perception, control engineering, AI, autonomy, planning and decision-making.

These facilities are also used for experiments with complete drone systems, studies of human–system interaction and research on integrating drones and swarms into operational application domains and traffic management.

A drone in the air and a robotdog on the grass. Photographer: Thor Balkhed

Brief facts about our funders, expertise and collaboration partners

Funders

ELLIIT, EU, Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF), Swedish Research Council (VR), Vinnova, Wallenberg AI Autonomous Systems and Software Programme (WASP) and others.

Researchers

About ten principal investigators and a total of forty researchers within the university participate in research on drones and swarms.

Partners

Universities, institutes, and companies in Sweden and abroad, such as RISE, Ericsson, LFV Air Traffic Control, SAAB AB, FMV, FOI, LEAD, Defence Hub Sweden, Sectra Communications AB

Ongoing

News in the field

Men in a mechanical workshop, construction lab.

08 December 2025

Master students constructing drones

Designing and building an autonomously flying aircraft to document weather conditions in an Arctic climate. The master’s students in Aeronautical Engineering received a substantial boost in applying their theoretical knowledge.
Drone in flight.

30 October 2025

Unexpectedly high emissions from wastewater treatment plants

Greenhouse gas emissions from many wastewater treatment plants may be more than twice as large as previously thought. This is shown in a new study from LiU, where the researchers used drones with specially manufactured sensors to measure emissions.
Jonas Rohdin, Steve Lien, Martin Vikblad och Chipo Ziyambe

15 July 2025

LiU and Stanford develop drone technology for forest fire monitoring

Students from Linköping University and Stanford have developed a drone that can help firefighters combat forest fires in a safer and smarter way.

Drone Labs at LiU

Test rig of a Saab 2000 in Flumes lab.

Aircraft design and systems

We carry out research in close cooperation with the aviation industry, where our research focusses on design, concept development, aircraft systems, aerodynamics and sub-scale test flights.
Graphics

Information Visualization

The group focuses on the explorative analysis and visualization of typically large and complex information spaces. We develop novel interactive visualization methods and tools that are able to efficiently support analysts from various domains.

Research arena Visionen

Visionen is a state-of-the-art research arena that provides a unique environment for experimental research and education. Visionen is operated by the Department of Electrical Engineering (ISY).

Contact

 
Photo of Fredrik Heintz

Fredrik Heintz

Professor, Head of Division, Head of Unit
 
Photo of Mariusz Wzorek

Mariusz Wzorek

Assistant Professor, Head of Unit
 
Photo of Fredrik Viksten

Fredrik Viksten

Technology Manager

Departments at LiU that conduct research in the area of ​​drones and swarms

Image of Building E, Campus Valla.

Department of Computer and Information Science (IDA)

The Department of Computer and Information Science is one of the largest departments in northern Europe in its field. Research activity covers artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, software and computer systems, and data science.
Campus Valla overview.

Department of Management and Engineering (IEI)

The Department of Management and Engineering (IEI) strengthens and develops tomorrow’s industry, business world and society by ground-breaking research, education and innovation.

Department of Electrical Engineering (ISY)

At ISY, we conduct research and education in the field of Electrical Engineering. A strong emphasis is placed on research- and industrial collaborations.

More information about drones and swarms

A couple of men standing next to each other working with a drone.

Research projects in drones and swarms

Linköping University is one of Sweden’s most active and prominent institutions in drone research, with a long track record, strong collaborations and several major research and innovation projects.
A drone flying over a boat on a body of water.

Collaboration partners in drone and swarm research

Linköping University participates in major national initiatives in drones, drone swarms, and autonomous systems. We collaborate with a wide range of Swedish and international universities, research institutes and companies both in Sweden and abroad.
A man standing in front of a building driving a drone.

Education in drone systems and swarm technologies

LiU offers several international master’s programmes that combine theoretical depth with practical skills in the development of drones and drone swarms.

Research at LiU

Small containers of chemicals

Research at Linköping University

What makes LiU special is the lack of boundaries between different subjects and faculties, which has resulted in world-leading research environments and companies. We address issues where the results can benefit all of society.

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