Tolga Özaslan, PhD

Tolga Özaslan, PhD

Roboticist

Sitemap

A list of all the posts and pages found on the site. For you robots out there, there is an XML version available for digesting as well.

Pages

Posts

Future Blog Post

less than 1 minute read

Published:

This post will show up by default. To disable scheduling of future posts, edit config.yml and set future: false.

Blog Post number 4

less than 1 minute read

Published:

This is a sample blog post. Lorem ipsum I can’t remember the rest of lorem ipsum and don’t have an internet connection right now. Testing testing testing this blog post. Blog posts are cool.

Blog Post number 3

less than 1 minute read

Published:

This is a sample blog post. Lorem ipsum I can’t remember the rest of lorem ipsum and don’t have an internet connection right now. Testing testing testing this blog post. Blog posts are cool.

Blog Post number 2

less than 1 minute read

Published:

This is a sample blog post. Lorem ipsum I can’t remember the rest of lorem ipsum and don’t have an internet connection right now. Testing testing testing this blog post. Blog posts are cool.

Blog Post number 1

less than 1 minute read

Published:

This is a sample blog post. Lorem ipsum I can’t remember the rest of lorem ipsum and don’t have an internet connection right now. Testing testing testing this blog post. Blog posts are cool.

projects

publications

Inspection of Penstocks and Featureless Tunnel-like Environments Using Micro UAVs

Published in Field and Service Robotics (FSR) : Results of the 9th International Conference, Springer, 2015

This paper presents a Rao–Blackwellized particle filter–based method for autonomous UAV inspection in GPS-denied, featureless tunnel-like environments such as penstocks, validated with real-world experiments.

Recommended citation: 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.
Download Paper

Towards Fully Autonomous Visual Inspection of Dark Featureless Dam Penstocks Using MAVs

Published in IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), 2016

This paper presents a visual-inertial navigation and mapping framework for autonomous inspection of dark and featureless dam penstocks using a custom hex-rotor MAV equipped with cameras and lidars.

Recommended citation: 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.
Download Paper

Autonomous Navigation and Mapping for Inspection of Penstocks and Tunnels with MAVs

Published in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L), 2017

This work presents an integrated system for the autonomous inspection of penstocks and tunnels using micro aerial vehicles equipped with lidar, IMU, and cameras. The method enables 6-DOF state estimation and real-time mapping inside dark, cylindrical infrastructure.

Recommended citation: 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.
Download Paper

The Multi Vehicle Stereo Event Camera Dataset: An Event Camera Dataset for 3D Perception

Published in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L), 2018

This paper presents a large-scale dataset captured with a synchronized stereo event camera system across multiple vehicles and platforms, enabling research in stereo depth estimation, SLAM, and visual odometry with event-based vision.

Recommended citation: 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
Download Paper

Spatio-Temporally Smooth Local Mapping and State Estimation inside Generalized Cylinders with Micro Aerial Vehicles

Published in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L), also presented at ICRA, 2018

This paper presents a state estimation and local mapping system for micro aerial vehicles navigating inside generalized cylindrical tunnels, using a combination of LiDAR and IMU, validated on real-world dam inspections.

Recommended citation: 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.
Download Paper

MAVNet: An Effective Semantic Segmentation Micro-Network for MAV-based Tasks

Published in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L), 2019

This paper introduces MAVNet, a compact semantic segmentation neural network tailored for micro aerial vehicles (MAVs) operating under size, weight, and power (SWaP) constraints. The network achieves strong performance in real-time aerial perception tasks, including dam and penstock inspection.

Recommended citation: 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.
Download Paper

Identifying Background Features Using LiDAR

Published in U.S. Patent Application Publication US 2021/0373173 A1, 2021

A patented method for identifying background features in LiDAR data using spherical modeling and graph-based segmentation.

Recommended citation: Özaslan, T. (2021). "Identifying Background Features Using LiDAR." U.S. Patent Application Publication US 2021/0373173 A1.
Download Paper

Enhancing Trajectory Following in VTOL Cargo UAVs: Adaptive Control in Changing Payload Scenarios

Published in 7th International Symposium on Innovative Approaches in Smart Technologies (ISAS), IEEE, 2023

This paper presents a meta-heuristic approach using Gray Wolf Optimization for adaptive control of VTOL cargo UAVs experiencing changing payload dynamics during flight. PID controller parameters are updated in real-time using a lookup table to maintain stability and accuracy.

Recommended citation: 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.
Download Paper

Inertial Measurement Units: Modeling and Calibration

Published in Eğitim Yayınevi, 2025

This work provides a comprehensive overview of inertial sensors used in robotics, detailing the structure, calibration, and mathematical modeling of accelerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetometers for state estimation.

Recommended citation: Özaslan, T. (2025). "Inertial Measurement Units: Modeling and Calibration." Eğitim Yayınevi.
Download Paper

Mekanum Platform için Motor Kalibrasyonu

Published in IEEE Sinyal İşleme ve İletişim Uygulamaları Kurultayı (SIU), İstanbul, Türkiye, 2025, 2025

Bu çalışma, Mekanum tekerlekli bir robotik platformda kullanılan motorların kalibrasyon sürecini ele almaktadır. Kalibrasyon, hareket doğruluğu ve yön kontrolünde tutarlılığı artırmak için kritik öneme sahiptir.

Recommended citation: Sarıoğlu, B. B., & Özaslan, T. (2025). "Mekanum Platform için Motor Kalibrasyonu." IEEE Sinyal İşleme ve İletişim Uygulamaları Kurultayı, İstanbul, Türkiye.
Download Paper

teaching

MCE 309 - System Dynamics and Control

Undergraduate course, AYBÜ, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2024

This course introduces undergraduate mechanical engineering students to the fundamental concepts of system dynamics and control. It covers mathematical modeling of physical systems, transient and steady-state response analysis, and basic controller design methods. The emphasis is placed on linear systems and their control using classical techniques such as PID tuning, root locus, and frequency response methods.

MCE 564 - Robotic Perception

Graduate course, AYBÜ, Mechanical Engineering, 2024

This course introduces perception techniques for autonomous mobile robots, with a focus on how to process data from sensors like IMUs, cameras, and lidars for tasks such as orientation estimation, mapping, and navigation.

MCE 449 - Mechatronics Components and Instrumentation

Undergraduate course, AYBÜ, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2024

This course introduces students to fundamental mechatronic components and instrumentation techniques used in modern engineering systems. Topics include sensors, actuators, signal conditioning, data acquisition, and control using microcontrollers. The course culminates in a hands-on term project involving real-time control of an unstable mechanical system.

MCE 484 - Aerial Robotics

Undergraduate course, AYBÜ, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2025

This course introduces students to the theoretical foundations and practical implementation of aerial robotic systems, particularly Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) platforms such as quadrotors. Topics include modeling of aerial vehicles, 3D state and rotation representations, control techniques, motion planning algorithms, and state estimation methods using probabilistic filters.

team