Explore the Future of Aerospace

 The AERO Lab, directed by Dr. Adeel Khalid, is a multidisciplinary research group focused on advancing the frontiers of autonomous flight systems, robotics, fluid dynamics, and aerospace design. We bring together students and researchers from Mechanical, Electrical, and Computer Engineering to collaborate on complex challenges in aerial robotics and intelligent systems. Our work combines theory, experimentation, and real-world testing to design autonomous platforms capable of operating safely and efficiently in dynamic environments.

Featured Projects

  • proj-1

    This project focuses on developing intelligent aerial systems capable of identifying and counting objects in real time using AI-enhanced Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). By integrating high-resolution drone imagery with state-of-the-art deep learning models, the team created a fully automated pipeline for detecting pedestrians and vehicles from varying altitudes, lighting conditions, and scene complexities.

    Using modern YOLO-based architectures, including custom-trained YOLOv12 models, the system performs reliable object detection across diverse environments. The framework was evaluated using real aerial footage collected with the Skydio X10 platform, demonstrating strong accuracy in identifying humans and vehicles even as scale, viewpoint, and crowd density changed. In pedestrian experiments, the detector maintained consistent performance up to 40 meters with minimal errors, enabling applications such as crowd monitoring and search-and-rescue support. In vehicle detection trials, the system achieved high precision and low counting error across dense parking lots and multi-altitude flights, confirming suitability for traffic analytics and infrastructure assessment.

    Overall, this project showcases how AI-enabled UAS platforms can transform aerial monitoring by providing fast, accurate, and scalable object identification capabilities for real-world operational use.

  • proj-2-image

    The Skydio X10’s radiometric thermal camera enabled a series of advanced AI applications developed in AERO Lab to demonstrate how unmanned aerial systems can support safety, inspection, and emergency-response missions. One of the systems focuses on real-time human-condition detection, where thermal imagery is streamed directly from the drone to a ground station running a lightweight YOLO model. The pipeline identifies people in the scene and analyzes their posture using detected keypoints to determine whether an individual is upright or lying on the ground. This approach avoids the need for RGB imagery, preserves privacy, and offers rapid situational awareness for search-and-rescue operations in low-visibility conditions.

    Building on this, another application estimates human head temperature directly from radiometric thermal frames. After detecting a person and localizing the head region through segmentation and pose-based methods, the system extracts per-pixel temperature values to assess thermal patterns. This capability provides a non-contact method for identifying abnormal temperatures, supporting early detection of heat stress, hypothermia, or altered physical condition during emergency response missions. 

    Thermal sensing was also extended to infrastructure inspection, where RGB-based segmentation is fused with thermal data to evaluate photovoltaic panel performance. The workflow detects individual solar modules, maps the polygons into the thermal frame, and computes module-level temperature statistics. Hot spots, shading effects, and cell-level defects become easy to identify, making the system well-suited for scalable rooftop or utility-scale solar maintenance. 

    In airport-safety applications, thermal imaging improved the detection of foreign object debris on runway-like surfaces. Small objects that are visually blended with pavement texture often become more distinguishable through temperature contrast. By combining thermal anomaly extraction with YOLO-based RGB detection, the system enhances reliability across changing lighting and environmental conditions, enabling rapid and automated runway inspection using UAS platforms. 

  • KWAD 3

    The KWAD III is a DoD-funded, water-resistant autonomous drone capable of GPS-guided 15-kilometer flights while carrying 2-kilogram payloads, with a scalable design that can lift up to 25 kilograms within FAA MGOW limits. Its optimized, additively manufactured aeroshell and robust frame have been validated through simulations and flight testing, confirming it meets mission objectives and is ready for future upgrades.
  • proj 4

    The KWAD II is designed to use sonar sensors to create a map of the environment and use that map to navigate.
  • KWAD 1

    The initial all-weather KWAD I was developed as a low cost, all-weather, optical streaming, general purpose quadcopter. 
  • proj-6

    This project developed and tested a custom quadrotor UAS designed to deliver sensors—such as gas detectors and cameras—into environments too hazardous or impractical for human inspection. Structural, power, and performance analyses validated through flight testing show that the system meets the civil engineering client’s unique payload needs and can support a wide range of remote-sensing applications.

Publications

  • Ahmed, O.; Balakrishnan, A.; Khalid, A. “Analyzing Building Facades for Heat Leakages Using UAS Radiometry,” Proceedings of the 2026 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Intelligent Vehicles Symposium (IV), Detroit, MI., June 22-25, 2026
  • Ahmed, O.; Begley, L.; Khalid, A. “Autonomous UAV-Based Inspection of Photovoltaic Arrays Using AI-Driven Defect Detection,” Proceedings of the 2026 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Intelligent Vehicles Symposium (IV), Detroit, MI., June 22-25, 2026
  • Ahmed, O.; Pieroni, R.; Khalid, A. “AI-Assisted Pedestrian Detection and Enumeration from Aerial Perspectives,” Proceedings of the 2026 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Intelligent Vehicles Symposium (IV), Detroit, MI., June 22-25, 2026
  • Diop, M.; Khalid, A. “B.U.R.A.C. Bi-modal Unmanned Remote Amphibian Craft: Design and Analysis of an in-ground-effect drone,” Proceedings of the 2026 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Aviation Forum, San Diego, CA., June 8-12, 2026
  • Hardy, B.; Karim, M.; Ahmed, O.; Shafian, S. A.; Shrestha, S.; Xu, H.; Hu, D.; Khalid, A. “Automated UAS Post Hurricane Damage Assessment Using Deep Learning,” Proceedings of the 2026 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Aviation Forum, San Diego, CA., June 8-12, 2026
  • Caldwell, C.; Ahmed, O.; Khalid, A. “Foreign Object Debris Detection in UAS-Based Thermal and RGB Imagery Using Deep Learning,” Proceedings of the 2026 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Aviation Forum, San Diego, CA., June 8-12, 2026
  • Ahmed, O.; Debeb, E.; Khalid, A. “Real-Time Vehicle Detection and Enumeration Using Unmanned Aerial Systems,” Proceedings of the 2026 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Aviation Forum, San Diego, CA., June 8-12, 2026
  • Ahmed, O.; Stanziano, J.; Khalid, A. “Autonomous Thermal-Vision Human Condition Detection Using Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS),” Proceedings of the 2026 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Aviation Forum, San Diego, CA., June 8-12, 2026
  • Ahmed, O.; Guye, J.; Khalid, A. “Thermal Human Head Temperature Estimation using Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) for Search and Rescue Operations,” Proceedings of the 2026 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Aviation Forum, San Diego, CA., June 8-12, 2026
  • Ahmed, O.; Stanziano, J.; Khalid, A. “Human Condition Monitoring Using Unmanned Aerial System (UAS),” Proceedings of the 2026 American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) Conference, Charlotte, NC., June 21-24, 2026
  • Ahmed, O.; Khalid, A. “Multiple Uses of UAS Coupled Sensors to Attract Undergraduate Students,” Proceedings of the 2026 American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) Conference, Charlotte, NC., June 21-24, 2026
  • Womack, R.; Caldwell, C.; Khalid, A. “Design, Development, Implementation of UAS Checklists for Multi-Mission Operations,” Proceedings of the 2026 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Region II Student Conference, University
  • Shafian, S.; Tanjila R. R., Sijie, G., Xu, H.; Khalid, A.; Hu, D. “Post-Disaster Building Damage Assessment Using Drone Imagery and Deep Learning,” Proceedings of the CI&CRC Joint Conference, ASCE, 2026 [Accepted]
  • Khalid, A.; Balakrishnan, A.; Begley, L.; Huffman, J.; Moore, D.; Porter, P.; Stanziano, J.; Taylor, C.; Baker, S.; Harcrow, A., “Performance Improvements of an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) with the use of an Aerodynamically Optimized Aeroshell,” Proceedings of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) SciTech 2026, Orlando, FL, 12-16 Jan 2026 [Accepted]
  • Oaphy, M. A.; Hu, D.; Khalid, A.; Xu, H., “Lightweight and Privacy-Enhanced Detection Model on Aerial Imagery for Post- Disaster Building Damage Reconnaissance,” Proceedings of the 59th Hawaii International Conference on Systems Sciences, Maui, HI, 6-9 Jan 2026 [Accepted]
  • Shafian, S.; Xu, H.; Khalid, A.; Hu, D. “Simulating Real-World Damage Environments for Interactive Virtual Reality Training via 3D Gaussian Splatting,” Proceedings of the 2025 IEEE 4th International Conference on Intelligent Reality (ICIR 2025), Boston, MA., 16-18 Nov 2025
  • Hu, D.; Khalid, A.; Xu, H.; “Interactive Digital Twin Platform for Enhancing Disaster Response and Coordination,” Proceedings of the 2025 IEEE 4th International Conference on Intelligent Reality (ICIR 2025), Boston, MA., 16-18 Nov 2025
  • Khalid, A., Porter, P., Begley, L., Moore, D., Taylor, C., “Design, Development and Operation of a Weather Resistant Heavy Payload Multi-Rotor Unmanned Aerial System (UAS),” Proceedings of the 2025 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, IMECE 2025, Memphis, TN, 16-20 Nov 2025
  • Khalid, A., Balakrishnan, A., Jones, E., Nunez, L., “Design and Development of Bat-Inspired Unmanned Aerial System for Mapping and Navigation,” Proceedings of the 2025 American Society of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Region II Student Conference, Greensboro, NC., April 2025; https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2025-98722
  • M. H. Tanveer; R. Patan; C. Chun; R. C. Voicu; A. Khalid, “Educating Engineers in the Design of AI-Enabled Agriculture Robots: From Concept Development to Field Implementation,” Proceedings of the 2024 American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE-SE) Southeast Conference, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS., March 9-11, 2025
  • Baker, S. T.; Khalid, A., “Design and Implementation of Quadrotor UAS as Remote Sensing Platform,” Proceedings of the 2024 American Society of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) SciTech Form, Orlando, FL., January 8012, 2024
  • A., Khalid, “Design and Development of Unmanned Aerial Systems for Industry Applications – A Case Study,” Proceedings of the 2023 American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) Annual Conference and Exposition, Baltimore, MD, June 25-28, 2023
  • A., Khalid, “Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research Project – Design and Development of Unmanned Aerial Systems for Industry Applications,” Proceedings of the 2023 American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) South East Section Annual Conference, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA. March 12-14, 2023
  • Hunter, J., Khalid, A., “Methodologies for Design, Analysis, and Optimization of Unmanned Aircraft Systems – An Undergraduate Case Study,” Proceedings of the AIAA SciTech Forum, 6-10 January 2020, Orlando, FL., DOI: https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2020-0325

Meet Our Team

  • Dr Khalid Image

    Dr. Adeel Khalid

    Lab Director & Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies in the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology

    akhalid2@kennesaw.edu

  • Owais SVG

    Owais Ahmed

    PhD Student, Intelligent Robotic Systems

    Joseph Image

    Joseph Stanziano

    Undergraduate Student, Mechanical Engineering
    Cole Image

    Cole Taylor

    Undergraduate Student, Mechanical Engineering
    Presleigh Image

    Presleigh Porter

    Undergraduate Student, Mechanical Engineering (Aerospace Engineering Minor)
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Contact us

📍Room Q-243, Engineering Technology Center - Kennesaw State University, Marietta, GA, 30060
✉️ aerolab@kennesaw.edu

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