Industrial & Manufacturing
Whole-body motion, manipulation, calibration, sensing, and safe operation around equipment and people.
Robotics · Humanoid Systems · Physical AI
Engineering
Intelligent Machines
I am Sinan Karahan, a technical leader and robotics scientist developing the sensing, estimation, planning, and control foundations that enable intelligent machines to perceive motion, reason about state, and act in the physical world.
6-DOFRobotics research foundation
20Engineers led at XPeng
9+Patent applications filed
Humanoid RoboticsPhysical AISensor FusionState EstimationRobot ControlMotion PlanningEmbedded SystemsSensor Calibration
Humanoid RoboticsPhysical AISensor FusionState EstimationRobot ControlMotion PlanningEmbedded SystemsSensor Calibration
Humanoid robotics & Physical AI
From sensing to whole-body intelligence.
Humanoid robots bring together the disciplines that have defined my work: multi-modal sensing, state estimation, kinematics and dynamics, planning, control, calibration, simulation, and production software.
01
Sensing
IMU, vision, LiDAR, joint sensing, force and tactile feedback.
02
State Estimation
Orientation, pose, velocity, bias, contact state, and probabilistic sensor fusion.
03
Robot Models
Kinematics, dynamics, calibration, coordinate frames, and physical constraints.
04
Planning & Control
Trajectory generation, model-based control, balance, disturbance rejection, and real-time execution.
Application domains
Robotics skills that transfer directly to humanoid systems.
Warehouse & Logistics
Navigation, perception, dynamic state estimation, manipulation, and robust operation in changing environments.
Service Robotics
Human-aware perception, motion planning, sensor fusion, and adaptive control for unstructured spaces.
Human–Robot Interaction
Motion understanding, force-aware control, sensing, and algorithms that connect physical behavior with human intent.
About
From mathematical foundations to systems that ship.
My career spans robotics, autonomous systems, aerospace, consumer electronics, industrial automation, and university teaching—with a technical foundation directly applicable to emerging humanoid robotics and Physical AI.
I specialize in sensor fusion, filtering and estimation, calibration, localization, robot kinematics and dynamics, motion planning, control, simulation, signal processing, optimization, and machine learning. I have repeatedly moved algorithms from concept and simulation into embedded, real-time, production environments.
My work includes pioneering 9-axis sensor fusion for iPhone, directing spacecraft sensor and actuator development, building autonomous-driving teams, advancing production localization and estimation systems, and teaching graduate-level robotics.
Selected impact
Technologies brought from research into the real world.
Five domains that define the breadth of my work.
Consumer Electronics
Motion intelligence at product scale
Developed the first production 9-axis Kalman Filter sensor fusion system for iPhone and delivered embedded motion, calibration, and activity algorithms across multiple generations of sensor products.
AppleTDK InvenSenseSensor Platforms
Autonomous Driving
Localization, perception, planning, and control
Led and developed multi-sensor systems using GNSS, IMU, LiDAR, radar, camera, and wheel odometry for autonomous vehicles.
GatikXPengSERES
Space & Aerospace
Navigation, control, and simulation beyond Earth
Directed spacecraft sensor and actuator development, modeled satellite dynamics and orbital systems, and contributed to NASA air-traffic optimization research.
E-SpaceNASA AmesOctant
Robotics
Machines that interact with people and the physical world
Designed kinematics, dynamics, control, trajectory planning, and force-based exercise algorithms for industrial, rehabilitation, animation, and medical robotics.
Research & Education
Teaching and advancing the mathematical core
Ph.D. research in nonlinear systems, graduate robotics instruction at Santa Clara University, and long-standing professional engagement through IEEE, ASME, Sigma Xi, and IFAC.
UC DavisSanta Clara UniversityIEEE
Technical expertise
Deep foundations. Production discipline.
Estimation & Sensor Fusion
- Kalman Filters
- Extended Kalman Filters
- Unscented Kalman Filters
- Particle Filters
- Bayesian Estimation
- Sensor Calibration
Robotics & Control
- Robot Kinematics
- Robot Dynamics
- Trajectory Planning
- Path Planning
- Feedback Control
- Model Predictive Control
Autonomous Systems
- Localization
- Navigation
- Perception
- Map Matching
- GNSS / IMU Integration
- LiDAR / Radar / Camera Fusion
Implementation & Simulation
- C / C++
- MATLAB / Simulink
- ROS / ROS 2
- Embedded Real-Time Systems
- Monte Carlo Simulation
- Hardware-in-the-Loop
OptimizationSignal ProcessingMachine LearningOpenCVMotion AlgorithmsAttitude EstimationOrbital DynamicsGNCSensor CharacterizationIndoor PositioningWi-Fi / Bluetooth BeaconsPedestrian Dead Reckoning
Career timeline
Engineering leadership across robotics, autonomy, sensing, and space systems.
Filter the timeline by domain, then open any role for a concise account of the work, technical focus, and impact.
2024 — Present
Autonomous systems · Localization
Gatik
Technical Lead, Localization
Develops production localization and state-estimation systems, combining multiple sensing modalities in real-time software.
- Develops localization software using GNSS, IMU, LiDAR, camera, and wheel odometry.
- Applies probabilistic estimation and sensor-fusion methods to production systems.
- Works across algorithm design, simulation, software implementation, testing, and vehicle integration.
2022 — 2023
Space systems · GNC
E-Space
Director, GNC Sensors and Actuators Design
Directed development and evaluation of spacecraft guidance, navigation, and control sensors and actuators.
- Led sensor and actuator design activities supporting spacecraft GNC architecture.
- Applied estimation, calibration, simulation, and systems-engineering methods to space hardware.
- Connected component-level performance to vehicle-level navigation and control requirements.
2019 — 2022
Sensors · Embedded algorithms
TDK InvenSense
Director, Algorithms
Led algorithm development for motion sensing, sensor fusion, calibration, and embedded intelligent products.
- Directed teams developing production-grade motion and sensing algorithms.
- Advanced calibration and fusion methods for inertial and related sensors.
- Supported deployment from mathematical models through embedded implementation and validation.
2018 — 2019
Autonomous driving · Technical leadership
XPeng Motors
Principal Research Scientist
Built and led an autonomous-driving research and engineering team spanning localization, perception, planning, control, and simulation.
- Led a multidisciplinary team of approximately 20 engineers.
- Worked across the autonomous-driving stack, including localization, perception, planning, and control.
- Established technical direction for algorithm development, simulation, and vehicle integration.
2017 — 2018
Autonomous driving · Localization
SERES
Autonomous-Driving Research and Development
Contributed estimation, sensor-fusion, localization, and navigation expertise to autonomous-vehicle development.
- Worked with inertial, satellite, vision, and vehicle sensing inputs.
- Applied probabilistic filtering and calibration methods to vehicle-state estimation.
- Supported real-time implementation and system-level testing.
2016 — 2017
Industrial robotics · Control
Carbon Robotics
Director of Robotics and Control
Directed robotics, control, planning, and system-integration work for advanced industrial robotic platforms.
- Led robot kinematics, dynamics, trajectory planning, and control development.
- Connected algorithm design with hardware behavior and production constraints.
- Applied simulation and optimization to system design and validation.
2014 — 2016
Touch sensing · Embedded algorithms
NextInput
Algorithm and Sensor Development
Developed sensing, signal-processing, calibration, and embedded algorithms for force-sensitive input technology.
- Worked on sensor characterization and calibration.
- Developed signal-processing methods for robust force estimation.
- Supported embedded implementation and product validation.
2014 — 2015
Autonomous aerial systems
Nixie
Navigation and Control Development
Contributed navigation, estimation, and control methods to a wearable autonomous-camera concept.
- Applied inertial sensing and attitude-estimation methods to aerial motion.
- Supported autonomous flight behavior, navigation, and control.
- Worked within severe size, power, sensing, and embedded-compute constraints.
2012 — 2014
Motion sensing · Production algorithms
InvenSense
Algorithm Leadership
Developed and led embedded sensor-fusion, calibration, and motion-algorithm work for consumer and mobile sensing products.
- Designed production motion-processing and calibration algorithms.
- Worked across inertial sensors, magnetometers, and multi-axis fusion.
- Helped translate estimation theory into resource-constrained embedded software.
2010 — 2012
Consumer electronics · Motion intelligence
Apple
Research Scientist / Motion Algorithms Lead
Developed production motion and orientation algorithms for iPhone, including the first production 9-axis Kalman Filter sensor-fusion system.
- Developed 9-axis orientation estimation combining accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer data.
- Worked on compass calibration and motion-processing capabilities associated with CoreMotion.
- Moved algorithms from research and simulation into production mobile devices.
2009 — 2010
Context awareness · Mobile sensing
Sensor Platforms
Sensor-Fusion and Context Algorithms
Developed mobile sensor-fusion, context-awareness, and positioning algorithms.
- Worked on activity, orientation, and context inference from mobile sensors.
- Applied filtering and calibration to heterogeneous sensor inputs.
- Contributed to embedded and mobile implementations.
2006 — 2009
Aerospace research · Optimization
NASA Ames Research Center
Principal Research Scientist
Conducted research in air-traffic optimization, simulation, estimation, and decision-support methods.
- Applied optimization and simulation to complex aerospace operations.
- Developed mathematical and computational approaches for system-level decision support.
- Worked in a research environment connecting theory, software, and operational constraints.
Earlier career
Robotics · Simulation · Education
Foundational Roles
Hansen Medical, Motion Factory, Santa Clara University, UC Davis, and others
Early work established the robotics, dynamics, control, simulation, and teaching foundations that informed later production systems.
- Developed robotic surgical-catheter kinematics, dynamics, and control at Hansen Medical.
- Worked on character dynamics and physically based animation at Motion Factory.
- Taught graduate robotics at Santa Clara University.
- Completed Ph.D. research at UC Davis involving nonlinear systems and a NIH-funded 6-DOF physical-therapy robot.
- Held additional engineering and research roles spanning simulation, controls, semiconductor equipment, and intelligent systems.
No timeline entries match this filter.
Technical portfolio
Systems built where estimation meets reality.
Selected engineering programs organized by technical challenge rather than employer. Descriptions stay at a public, non-confidential level while showing the methods, system constraints, and leadership scope behind the work.
01
Production autonomy
Production Localization & State Estimation
Reliable vehicle-state estimation across real roads, imperfect sensors, and production constraints.
Challenge
Fuse complementary sensing modalities while maintaining accuracy, continuity, observability, and diagnosability in real time.
Approach
Probabilistic estimation using GNSS, IMU, LiDAR, cameras, and wheel odometry, supported by simulation, replay, testing, and vehicle integration.
Role
Technical leadership spanning algorithm architecture, software implementation, validation strategy, and cross-functional system integration.
GNSSIMULiDARCameraROS 2Kalman Filtering
02
Embedded intelligence
Production 9-axis motion estimation
Orientation and motion estimation combining accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer measurements in resource-constrained consumer devices.
Engineering focusCalibration, robustness, embedded implementation, validation, and production deployment.
9-Axis FusionCompass CalibrationCoreMotionEmbedded Algorithms
03
Space systems
Spacecraft GNC sensors and actuators
Sensor and actuator design viewed as part of a complete guidance, navigation, and control architecture.
Engineering focusPerformance modeling, characterization, calibration, estimation, simulation, and requirement flow-down.
GNCAttitude EstimationSensorsActuatorsSimulation
04
Robotic systems
Medical and rehabilitation robotics
Robotic mechanisms and control systems designed around human interaction, physical constraints, and safety.
Engineering focusKinematics, dynamics, nonlinear systems, force interaction, control, and a NIH-funded 6-DOF physical-therapy robot.
6-DOF RoboticsDynamicsControlHuman-Robot Interaction
05
Industrial robotics
Planning and control for robotic platforms
System-level development connecting mathematical models to physical robot behavior and product constraints.
Engineering focusKinematics, dynamics, trajectory generation, optimization, simulation, controls, and hardware integration.
Motion PlanningTrajectory GenerationOptimizationControl
06
Technical organization
Building multidisciplinary autonomy teams
Leadership across localization, perception, planning, control, simulation, and vehicle integration.
Engineering focusTechnical direction, architecture, hiring, mentoring, execution, and alignment between research and production.
LeadershipArchitectureSimulationVehicle Integration
Technology matrix
From mathematical model to deployed system.
Estimation
Kalman filters, nonlinear estimation, sensor fusion, calibration, state estimation, localization, attitude estimation
Robotics
Kinematics, dynamics, motion planning, trajectory generation, control, simulation, optimization
Sensing
IMU, GNSS, LiDAR, cameras, magnetometers, wheel odometry, force and touch sensors
Implementation
C++, Python, MATLAB/Simulink, ROS and ROS 2, Linux, embedded and real-time systems
Engineering philosophy
First principles. Measurable behavior. Production discipline.
I approach intelligent machines as complete systems: sensing, estimation, planning, control, software, hardware, and validation must reinforce one another.
Strong algorithms matter. Strong interfaces, observability, testability, and failure handling are what make them dependable.
Professional activities
Research, teaching, and technical community.
- Adjunct Professor of graduate robotics at Santa Clara University
- IEEE Lifetime Member
- Member of ASME and Sigma Xi
- Research background spanning robotics, nonlinear systems, aerospace optimization, and sensor fusion
Selected references
External sources from the original career summary.
Contact
Let’s build the next intelligent system.
Open to senior technical leadership, robotics, autonomous systems, localization, estimation, sensor fusion, and consulting opportunities.
