Berk Sunar

Papers

Total Citations

177

H-Index

About

Berk Sunar is a leading researcher at the intersection of robotics and cybersecurity, whose work has fundamentally shaped how we secure autonomous systems. His most influential contribution is the seminal 2018 paper "Robot Operating System 2" (ROS 2), which has garnered 161 citations and established the foundational open-source standard for modern robotic platforms. This work enables critical capabilities in locomotion, manipulation, navigation, and recognition by integrating sensors, motors, and controllers—powering everything from autonomous vehicles to humanoid robots and eldercare systems. Sunar's research has been instrumental in identifying emerging security vulnerabilities as robots transition from factory floors to public spaces. His 2011 paper "An Emerging Threat: Eve Meets a Robot" (12 citations) pioneered the study of adversarial attacks on robotic systems, while his 2019 work "Credential Masquerading and OpenSSL Spy: Exploring ROS 2 using DDS security" (4 citations) exposed critical authentication flaws in robot communication protocols. Through these contributions, Sunar has become a pivotal figure in ensuring that as robots increasingly augment human roles in streets and homes, they do so with robust security foundations that protect both the machines and the people they serve.