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A concise summary of my education, work experience, projects, and skills in robotics, mechatronics, and automation.
Basics
| Name | Yunus Emre Danabaş |
| Label | B.Sc. Mechatronics (2025) · B.Sc. Electronics (Expected 2026) |
| yunusdanabas@sabanciuniv.edu | |
| Phone | +90 5059546704 |
| Url | https://yunusemredanabas.com |
| Summary | Final-year undergrad at Sabancı, combining Mechatronics (2025) and Electronics (expected 2026) with hands-on robotics, control, and embedded systems—focus on robust, end-to-end solutions. |
Education
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2023 - 2026 Istanbul, Turkey
Sabancı University
Bachelor in Electronics Engineering (Double Major)
CGPA: 3.77/4.00
- Double Major, expected June 2026
- Focus on embedded systems and electronics for robotics applications
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2020 - 2025 Istanbul, Turkey
Sabancı University
Bachelor in Mechatronics Engineering
CGPA: 3.77/4.00
- Graduated June 2025; Ranked 1st in Department
- Combined specialization in robotics, control, and embedded systems across both majors
Relevant Courses:- Kinematics and Dynamics of Machines
- Introduction to Robotics
- Autonomous Mobile Robotics
- Deep Learning for Robot Control
Research & Engineering Experience
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2025.10 - present Istanbul, Turkey
As Robotics (COMAU Turkey)
Part-time Robotics Engineer
Part-time role designing manual guidance and motion-teaching interfaces for industrial robots.
- Prototyped a capacitive grip/touch sensor; designed and fabricated a simple PCB in-house (KiCad, LPKF).
- Developing a handheld motion-teaching (programming-by-demonstration) workflow for COMAU robots; pose capture and replay prototype in progress.
- Implementing integration and control tooling in C++/Python using COMAU APIs; completed PDL2 training.
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2025.06 - 2025.10 Napoli, Italy
PRISMA Lab, University of Naples Federico II
Research Intern
- Defined a per-side actuated suspension concept for a compact lunar micro-rover, enabling ride height (heave) and roll leveling while preserving passive pitch averaging.
- Initiated ROS 2 + Gazebo simulation pipeline (CAD to URDF/Xacro; ros2_control; posture presets) and handed off Gazebo C++ plugin development for passive differential emulation.
- Synthesized design guidelines from lunar rover and mobile robotics literature; integrated self-locking linear actuators per side.
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2024.06 - 2024.08 Munich, Germany
Munich Institute of Robotics and Machine Intelligence (TUM MIRMI)
Research Intern
- Investigated crossed-flexure hinge architectures to decouple force and moment measurements in robotic 6-DoF force-torque sensors, enabling higher moment capacity without sacrificing force resolution.
- Developed a parametric MATLAB simulation pipeline based on Wittrick's crossed-strip flexure theory to rapidly explore hinge geometries, loading scenarios, and deformation characteristics.
- Fabricated physical prototypes using SolidWorks for CAD design and implemented precise instrumentation with strain gauges; created a detailed installation and testing manual.
- Validated deformation models experimentally using a custom computer-vision pipeline (edge detection, RANSAC curve fitting), ensuring consistency between analytical predictions and real-world data.
- Created a Gazebo digital twin for flexure-stage integration, enabling pre-hardware controller tuning and stability assessment.
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2023.09 - 2023.10 Gebze, Turkey
TÜBİTAK BİLGEM
Robotics Engineering Intern
- Completed formal ROS training focused on SLAM, navigation, and multi-robot systems.
- Designed and benchmarked single- vs multi-robot frontier-exploration strategies in Gazebo (TurtleBot3).
- Implemented real-time map-merging and RViz visualization for collaborative exploration.
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2023.06 - 2023.09 Istanbul, Turkey
Pubinno Inc.
Mechanical Engineering Intern
- Designed 3D-printed prototypes in Onshape to accelerate iteration cycles.
- Led development of an automated maintenance prototype enabling field technicians to perform first-line servicing.
- Coordinated QA/QC activities with suppliers and documented manufacturing processes.
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2023.01 - 2023.02 Gebze, Turkey
TÜBİTAK BİLGEM
Embedded Systems Intern
- Gained hands-on experience with Adalm-Pluto SDR, implementing Python-based wireless communication and signal-processing demos.
Teaching Experience
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2024.09 - present Istanbul, Turkey
Sabancı University
Teaching Assistant
Teaching assistant for ME312 and ME403; labs, recitations, and project supervision.
Courses:- ME312 Analysis and Synthesis of Mechanisms
- ME403 Introduction to Robotics
- Led labs/recitations, held weekly office hours, and supervised course projects for 20+ students per semester.
Skills
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CAD & Fabrication
SolidWorks (CSWA), Onshape, Fusion 360, FDM 3D printing -
Robotics Stack
ROS 1/2, micro-ROS, URDF/Xacro, Gazebo, ros2_control, MoveIt/MoveIt2, Navigation2 -
Modeling & Control
MATLAB/Simulink, Autolev -
Learning & Simulation
JAX (Equinox, Optax, Diffrax), MuJoCo, Brax, RL (BC, PPO) -
Perception
OpenCV, MediaPipe, ArUco, RealSense SDK -
Programming
Python, C/C++, MATLAB, Assembly -
Embedded & Electronics
Arduino, ESP32, Verilog, LTspice, PCB design (KiCad), PCB prototyping/production (LPKF S63) -
Tools & DevOps
Git, Docker, Linux
Projects
- 2024.10 - 2025.05
Passive Walker RL Pipeline
Graduation project: three-stage curriculum (FSM seeding ➜ Behaviour Cloning ➜ PPO) that trains a passive-dynamic biped to achieve stable downhill gait in fewer than 10⁶ steps. MuJoCo supplies fidelity; Brax delivers >1M env-steps/s for GPU-parallel sweeps. Supervised by Prof. Volkan Patoğlu and Dr. Aykut Cihan Satici.
- Finite-state expert generates ~30k demos in 30 s; BC yields walk-from-boot policy; PPO reaches steady gait in 10⁵ steps (5× faster than scratch)
- Implemented JAX + Equinox + Optax stack; 1M-param policy; reproducible hash-named artefacts and one-command replay
- Published code, configs, and logs (MIT); ran hyperparameter sweeps for robust policies
- 2025.03 - 2025.05
Hand-Steer Sim — Gesture Teleoperation
Solo capstone (EE417 Computer Vision, Spring 2025): vision-only teleoperation stack converting webcam/RealSense video into ROS geometry_msgs/Twist for differential-drive robots. Supports discrete hand-sign mode and steering-wheel metaphor with MediaPipe landmarks and compact TFLite models. Docker (CPU/GPU) and Gazebo integration.
- Dual-branch inference: 1k-param MLP for static gestures (Stop, Holding Wheel, Speed Up/Down); 6k-param LSTM for steering trajectories (Turn Left/Right, Forward)
- 99% macro-F1 on held-out test; 13 ms end-to-end latency on GPU (25 ms CPU) at 30 FPS
- Released fused /cmd_vel launcher, dataset, training notebooks, and CPU/GPU Docker images for reproducible deployment
- 2023.09 - 2023.09
MultiExplorer — Multi-Robot Frontier Exploration
First ROS project after TÜBİTAK BİLGEM boot camp: Gazebo-based study comparing single-, double-, and triple-robot TurtleBot3 frontier exploration and SLAM. Built end-to-end autonomous exploration pipeline with namespaces, TF, launch design, and topic remapping.
- Implemented explore_lite, GMapping, move_base/DWA, and multirobot_map_merge in namespaced stacks
- Merged maps in real time; benchmarked 1/2/3-robot configurations; triple-robot setup reduced coverage time vs single-robot baseline
- Headless Gazebo launches for CI; Canva presentation for dissemination
- 2022.06 - 2025.01
SURover — Technical Team Captain
Sabancı University Rover Team: built ROS + Gazebo digital twin and led mechanical, electronics, and software integration for a field-ready rover. Oversaw team operations and project continuity within IEEE Student Chapter.
- Authored URDF/Xacro and MoveIt pipelines for drivetrain and manipulator; enabled sim-to-hardware deployment
- Multi-sensor fusion and ArUco-based fiducial SLAM with ZED2, RealSense D435i, and RPLIDAR-A3
- Wi-Fi joystick with watchdog and E-stop; mechanical fabrication, cabling, and Arduino-based motor control
- 2024.10 - 2025.01
Cart-Pole Swing-Up Control (JAX & MuJoCo)
Hybrid control combining neural energy shaping with classical LQR for cart-pole swing-up. End-to-end differentiable training in JAX (Equinox/Diffrax); real-time deployment at 1 kHz in MuJoCo 3.x. Supervised by Dr. Aykut Cihan Satici.
- Neural energy shaping for robust swing-up from arbitrary initial conditions; LQR for stabilization around upright
- 98% success rate across disturbance profiles; ~1.9 s swing-up time; <5 min CPU training with analytical gradients
- Implemented in JAX/Equinox/Diffrax; validated robustness across pose and velocity distributions
- 2023.01 - 2024.01
Robotic Item Placement on Cluttered Desks (Baxter)
Group project (Prof. Volkan Patoğlu, Prof. Esra Erdem): Bayesian optimization with transfer learning for sequential, collision-free object placement on cluttered surfaces. I ported Baxter SDK to ROS Noetic (Python 3) and repaired MoveIt and Gazebo pipeline for sim-to-robot deployment.
- Updated core interface, enable/disable, tuck/untuck, cameras, example scripts; Gazebo stack for pre-hardware testing
- Same stack on sim and hardware enables develop-in-Gazebo, deploy-on-Baxter workflow with minimal changes
- Demonstrated clutter-aware placement policies; MoveIt for motion planning in both settings
Awards
- 2025
- Graduated 1st in Mechatronics Engineering Department— Sabancı University
- Ranked 7th in the Electronics Engineering Department (as of 2025)— Sabancı University
- 2023, 2024
- Extracurricular Student Activities Leadership Award— Sabancı University
- 2020–2025
- Merit-Based Full Tuition Scholarship— Sabancı University
- Dean's High Honor— Sabancı University
Certificates
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2024.12 Autonomous Driving Technologies Certificate
T.C. Sanayi ve Teknoloji Bakanlığı
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2024.08 Certified SOLIDWORKS Associate (CSWA)
Dassault Systèmes
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2024.03 Yapay Zeka Uzmanlık Programı
T.C. Sanayi ve Teknoloji Bakanlığı
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2023.09 -
2023.02 Yetkin Gençler - Eng-2023
Yetkin Gençler
Languages
| English | |
| Advanced |
| Turkish | |
| Native |
Volunteer
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2022.09 - 2024.09 Istanbul, Turkey
Board Member
Sabancı IEEE Student Chapter
Responsible board member overseeing SURover team operations, maintaining the leadership structure, and ensuring project continuity within the chapter.
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2022.09 - 2024.06 Istanbul, Turkey
Financial Affairs Coordinator
Sabancı University SIAM Student Chapter
Managed chapter budgets, sponsorship funds, and financial reports in coordination with global SIAM headquarters. Organized seminars, reading groups, and on-campus mathematics competitions to boost student engagement.
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2021.04 - 2021.06 Istanbul, Turkey
Volunteer Narrator
Civic Involvement Projects
Recorded and edited audiobooks for visually impaired individuals, expanding the accessibility of educational and literary resources.
Interests
| Robotics | |
| Control Systems | |
| Embedded Systems | |
| Simulation | |
| Automation |
| Machine Learning | |
| Reinforcement Learning | |
| Optimization | |
| Data-Driven Control |