Robotics Researcher and Control Engineer
I am a robotics systems and control engineer at ASELSAN and an MSc researcher in Robotics at Middle East Technical University. My research focuses on legged locomotion, whole-body control, state estimation, and learning-based control for robotic systems.
Published research and manuscripts in preparation on legged locomotion, whole-body control, and state estimation.
H. C. Özden, E. Tanfener, H. E. Orhon, Ö. T. Banuş, U. Saranlı, M. Ankaralı. Integrates generalized momentum methods, contact constraints, and IMU data to estimate external forces on a quadruped robot's body, enabling safer navigation without visual aid.
A few representative systems showing end-to-end ownership across control design, simulation, software, and deployment.
Core engineer in a specialized ASELSAN team conducting rapid R&D on a high-speed, fully autonomous UAV. Own onboard software architecture and navigation in GPS-denied environments, contributing to the systems engineering and controls stack for reliable, real-time autonomous operation across a multidisciplinary team.
Core engineer for ASELSAN's in-house quadrupedal robot platform, designing low-level control and estimation software in C++ on real-time Linux. Built a hierarchical locomotion stack using spatial dynamics, optimal control, MPC, and WBIC for stable operation on steep terrain and stairs.
Owned a Ghost Vision 60 based quadruped solution with custom payload integration end-to-end, from concept to customer delivery. Coordinated multidisciplinary development, built ROS2 and Docker-based production workflows, and delivered the system for field deployment after public demonstration at IDEF 2025.
Built a research pipeline combining high-level reinforcement learning policies with WBIC-based torque control. Developed high-performance C++ simulation environments using Cheetah Software and EnvPool for parallelized training, evaluation, and sim-to-real oriented controller development.
Experience, education, and technical capabilities centered on legged robotics, control, estimation, and learning.
Core engineer in a specialized team conducting rapid R&D on a high-speed, fully autonomous UAV, owning onboard software architecture and navigation in GPS-denied environments. Contributing to the systems engineering and controls stack enabling reliable, real-time autonomous operation across a multidisciplinary team.
Core engineer for ASELSAN's in-house quadruped platform from early-stage R&D. Designed low-level control and estimation software, developed the hierarchical locomotion controller, and co-developed a contact-consistent external disturbance estimator (published, IEEE CASE 2024). Owned the Ghost Vision 60 based platform solution end-to-end from concept to customer delivery, including ROS2 and Docker-based production workflows and field deployment after public demonstration at IDEF 2025.
Worked on foldable, collision-resilient quadrotor MAVs under Assoc. Prof. Dr. Onur Özcan, extending RotorS with cascaded PID control and validating analytical crash-dynamics models against simulation and experiments.
Performed system identification using frequency sweep inputs for controller analysis.
Worked on mobile robot control systems with emphasis on sensor fusion and state estimation for fulfillment applications.
Supported laboratory instruction and evaluated reports and assessments.
Researching hierarchical locomotion control for quadrupedal robots under Assoc. Prof. Dr. M. Mert Ankarali and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Emre Turgut, in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Uluç Saranlı, combining reinforcement learning with whole-body impulse control.
Full scholarship recipient with monthly stipend, honor certificates for academic excellence, and four completed graduate-level engineering electives.
Team member on the ASELSAN-METU/ROMER legged robotic platforms collaboration, awarded the 2025 YÖK University-Industry Collaboration Award, presented by the President of the Republic of Turkiye.
Ranked in the top 0.01% of the 2017 National University Entrance Exam among more than 2.1 million students.
Completed the 10th International Summer School on Screw-Theory-Based Methods in Robotics in 2024.
Member of the Bilkent University Mechanical Engineering Society, freshmen mentor in ASCU, and volunteer building supervisor for Oy ve Otesi.
Languages: Turkish (Native), English (Full Professional Proficiency), German (Elementary).
Certificates: Systems Engineering Basic Concepts and Technical Processes, Systems Engineering Standards and Technical Management, Using DOORS for Requirements Management, and Intro to Doors Next.
For robotics, controls, research, or deployment-focused opportunities, reach out directly.