World Class Professor Prof. Basaran Bahadir Kocer, Ph.D

Valuable Knowledge From One of the World’s Flying Robot Experts, Prof. Basaran Bahadir Kocer, Ph.D

Basaran Bahadir Kocer, Ph. D is a lecturer from Turkey who currently teaches at the Department of Aerospace Engineering, Bristol University, UK. He conducts research that focuses on Aerial Robotics and Intelligent Systems. On this occasion he was present at the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology as a guest at the World Class Professor (WCP)-like activity in the Department of Electrical Automation Engineering (DTEO). This activity will take place from 18 to 26 May 2023. Prof. Bahadir started his activities in Surabaya by giving a guest lecture discussing several researches in the field of Aerial Robotics. He explained that currently there are various types of flying robots for various applications, such as in the forestry sector for collecting plant data, the civil sector for building construction, as well as research on the movements of flying robots. He also explained the components used in flying robots and their functions.

Prof. Bahadir again gave a guest lecture to students related to computer vision for robotics, which is also one of the research topics of interest. He explained the function and uses of computer vision, especially its application to flying robot technology. He also explained several methods and technologies related to computer vision. Next he gave a guest lecture related to the parts of flying robots, and also the basics of flying robots, namely about Multi Rotor Dynamics. He also explained the methods used to regulate or control flying robots. The parameters controlled depend on the function of the robot.

Apart from giving guest lectures, Prof. Bahadir and the DTEO lecturer team discussed taking advantage of collaborative opportunities, especially research on topics that suit his knowledge, namely robotics. Some of the research topics that will be worked on together include high-speed control of flying robots with neural networks, spherical robots, gliding robots, and also bio-inspired robots. In discussing this research, he also shared his experience of conducting research in the United Kingdom which is very interesting to study and implement in Indonesia, such as the development of flying robots which are not only carried out in the electrical sector but also have the opportunity to collaborate with the forestry and civil sectors, as well as human resources. funding comes from a research consortium between universities in the UK.

During a visit to the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology, Surabaya, students were introduced to the culture in Indonesia, especially Surabaya. Prof. Bahadir talked about the culture, atmosphere and experiences in the United Kingdom and compared the culture in Indonesia. He also talked about the differences between the lecture systems in Europe and Asia. During the weekend, Prof Bhadir was invited to visit several tourist attractions in Surabaya and its surroundings, one of which was Coban Rondo which is located in the city of Batu, East Java. He was amazed when he saw the Coban Rondo waterfall and said it was the highest waterfall he had ever seen in person. Apart from that, Prof Bahadir was also invited to visit an apple picking tour which made him nostalgic. Indirectly, it reminds him of his childhood in Turkey because his family had their own apple orchard. He also didn’t forget to buy several souvenirs for his family, namely various variations of fruit chips which were sold around Coban Rondo.