Altay Ozen

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Altay Ozen is a researcher whose work sits at the critical intersection of robotics, human factors, and safety engineering. His primary focus is on understanding and mitigating failures in autonomous systems, with a particular emphasis on robotic aerial vehicles. Ozen’s most notable contribution is the development of the MAYDAY methodology, a structured approach for investigating accidents involving drones and other unmanned aircraft. Introduced in his highly regarded 2020 paper, "From Control Model to Program: Investigating Robotic Aerial Vehicle Accidents with MAYDAY," this framework bridges the gap between traditional accident analysis and the unique challenges of software-driven, autonomous flight. By modeling accidents as a breakdown between the control program and the real-world environment, Ozen provides engineers and regulators with a powerful tool to diagnose root causes—from sensor failures to flawed algorithms. While his citation count (7 for his flagship paper) reflects a focused, emerging field, the impact of his work is significant: it offers a foundational language for making autonomous systems safer, a critical need as drones become ubiquitous in logistics, surveillance, and emergency response.