Mekanum Platform için Motor Kalibrasyonu
Sarıoğlu, B. B., & Özaslan, T. (2025). "Mekanum Platform için Motor Kalibrasyonu." IEEE Sinyal İşleme ve İletişim Uygulamaları Kurultayı, İstanbul, Türkiye.
Short Biography
Dr. Tolga Özaslan received dual B.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science from Middle East Technical University (METU) in 2008. He was the first student in METU’s history to complete a double major in these two departments. He pursued his graduate studies at Bilkent University, where he obtained an M.Sc. degree in Computer Science in 2011 under the supervision of Prof. Uluç Saranlı.
Dr. Özaslan earned his Ph.D. in Robotics at the University of Pennsylvania, conducting research at the GRASP Laboratory under the supervision of Prof. Vijay Kumar and Prof. Camillo J. Taylor. His doctoral work focused on state estimation, mapping, and autonomous navigation for micro aerial vehicles operating in GPS-denied environments. Following his Ph.D., he worked as a Research Scientist at Motional Inc. in Boston, where he contributed to the development of high-definition mapping and localization systems for self-driving vehicles.
Throughout his research career, Dr. Özaslan has led numerous field deployments involving mobile robots and unmanned aerial vehicles in challenging real-world environments. He has coordinated and executed over 20 site experiments at hydraulic infrastructures, including dams, tunnels, and penstocks, with more than 100 autonomous drone flights conducted inside confined underground structures. He is the sole inventor of a U.S. patent on point cloud processing for identifying drivable surfaces in complex environments.
Dr. Özaslan is currently a faculty member in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University, where he teaches courses in mechatronics, robotics, and control systems. He is the designer and instructor of the Aerial Robotics course, which introduces students to theoretical foundations of drone autonomy through simulation-based, hands-on exercises.
In addition to his academic work, Dr. Özaslan is an entrepreneur and the founder of Tayyar Robotics, a company focused on developing autonomous drone technologies for GPS-denied environments. Tayyar Robotics specializes in real-time localization, mapping, and perception systems for aerial and ground robots operating in unstructured and unknown environments.
Education
- Ph.D. in Robotics, University of Pennsylvania, GRASP Laboratory
- Advisors: Prof. Vijay Kumar and Prof. C.J. Taylor
- M.S. in Computer Science, Bilkent University
- B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science (Double Major), Middle East Technical University
Academic Positions
- Assistant Professor, Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering
- Teaching: Robotics, Control Systems, Embedded Programming
- Supervising undergraduate, master’s, and PhD students
- University Avesis Profile
- Founder, Tayyar Robotics
- Focus: Autonomous drone systems, SLAM, perception, and robotics R&D
Industry Experience
- Research Scientist, Motional Inc., Boston, USA
- Worked on perception and SLAM in autonomous vehicles
- Contributed to sensor fusion and onboard mapping pipelines
- Director of R&D, OTEO Health Technologies (Türkiye)
- Led R&D activities in AI-based solutions for medical imaging and infrastructure monitoring
- Projects included railway surveillance, MRI/CTA analysis using deep learning techniques
- Oversaw talent recruitment and project team formation
- Actively engaged in national R&D funding acquisition, including TÜBİTAK 1501/1507 programs
Research Interests
- SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping)
- Multi-sensor fusion (LiDAR, cameras, IMU)
- Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
- Autonomous navigation in unknown environments
- Control systems, embedded robotics
- Medical imaging and diagnostic AI
Selected Publications
Understanding 3D Rotations: Euler Angle Conventions for Estimation, Navigation, and Control
Özaslan, T. (2025). "Understanding 3D Rotations: Euler Angle Conventions for Estimation, Navigation, and Control." Yaz Yayınları.
Inertial Measurement Units: Modeling and Calibration
Özaslan, T. (2025). "Inertial Measurement Units: Modeling and Calibration." Eğitim Yayınevi.
Enhancing Trajectory Following in VTOL Cargo UAVs: Adaptive Control in Changing Payload Scenarios
Duru, A. S., Özaslan, T., & Soygüder, S. (2023). "Enhancing Trajectory Following in VTOL Cargo UAVs: Adaptive Control in Changing Payload Scenarios." In Proceedings of the 7th International Symposium on Innovative Approaches in Smart Technologies (ISAS), IEEE, pp. 1–9.
Identifying Background Features Using LiDAR
Özaslan, T. (2021). "Identifying Background Features Using LiDAR." U.S. Patent Application Publication US 2021/0373173 A1.
Estimation, Mapping and Navigation with Micro Aerial Vehicles for Infrastructure Inspection
Özaslan, T. (2020). "Estimation, Mapping and Navigation with Micro Aerial Vehicles for Infrastructure Inspection." PhD Thesis, University of Pennsylvania.
MAVNet: An Effective Semantic Segmentation Micro-Network for MAV-based Tasks
Nguyen, T., Shivakumar, S. S., Miller, I. D., Keller, J., Lee, E. S., Zhou, A., Özaslan, T., Loianno, G., Harwood, J. H., Wozencraft, J. M., Taylor, C. J., & Kumar, V. (2019). "MAVNet: An Effective Semantic Segmentation Micro-Network for MAV-based Tasks." IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, 4(4), 3908–3915.
Spatio-Temporally Smooth Local Mapping and State Estimation inside Generalized Cylinders with Micro Aerial Vehicles
Özaslan, T., Loianno, G., Keller, J., Taylor, C. J., & Kumar, V. (2018). "Spatio-Temporally Smooth Local Mapping and State Estimation inside Generalized Cylinders with Micro Aerial Vehicles." IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, 3(3), 1755–1762.
The Multi Vehicle Stereo Event Camera Dataset: An Event Camera Dataset for 3D Perception
Zhu, A. Z., Thakur, D., Özaslan, T., Pfrommer, B., Kumar, V., & Daniilidis, K. (2018). "The Multi Vehicle Stereo Event Camera Dataset: An Event Camera Dataset for 3D Perception." IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters 2018
Autonomous Navigation and Mapping for Inspection of Penstocks and Tunnels with MAVs
Özaslan, T., Loianno, G., Keller, J., Taylor, C. J., Kumar, V., Wozencraft, J. M., & Hood, T. (2017). "Autonomous Navigation and Mapping for Inspection of Penstocks and Tunnels with MAVs." IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, April 2017.
Towards Fully Autonomous Visual Inspection of Dark Featureless Dam Penstocks Using MAVs
Özaslan, T., Mohta, K., Keller, J., Mulgaonkar, Y., Taylor, C. J., Kumar, V., Wozencraft, J. M., & Hood, T. (2016). "Towards Fully Autonomous Visual Inspection of Dark Featureless Dam Penstocks Using MAVs." In Proceedings of the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), pp. 4998–5005.
Inspection of Penstocks and Featureless Tunnel-like Environments Using Micro UAVs
Özaslan, T., Shen, S., Mulgaonkar, Y., Michael, N., & Kumar, V. (2015). "Inspection of Penstocks and Featureless Tunnel-like Environments Using Micro UAVs." In Field and Service Robotics: Results of the 9th International Conference, pp. 123–136, Springer.
Teaching
Service and Leadership
- Review/Mentor in TÜBİTAK 1507, 1512, 1512/1812, and NATO DIANA programs
- Founder of ROAM Lab, supporting undergraduate and graduate research
- Organizer of technical workshops on SLAM, drone systems, and perception
- Frequent reviewer for IEEE conferences and journals