Statement of purpose
Having worked in field of robotics since the past two years, it has helped me gain a unique perspective of the development of robotics applications. I am a research engineer at a R&D division at XXXXXX, working on maritime robotics and underwater vehicles. I am writing to express my purpose of applying to the M.Sc. Robotics program at XXXXXX.
I am always attracted by research and committed to staying at the forefront of technological advancements in the field of robotics. My long-term goals are to develop efficient and safe autonomous robots. In graduate school, I hope to become more deeply involved in research areas related to control dynamics, SLAM, Motion planning, and Navigation. These areas of study are essential for the development of reliable and effective robots, and I am eager to learn more about them and contribute to the advancement of the field. I believe that my research efforts will ultimately help to shape the future of robotics and have a meaningful impact on society.
Right from the beginning of my bachelor's program in Electronics and Communication at XXXXX, I realized my passion for robotics and started developing relevant skills to further my knowledge in the field. I built my fundamentals in signals and systems, linear algebra and object-oriented programming. Subsequently, to gain practical experience, in my second year, I joined a project team in our institution where we worked on building a, "12 DOF Quadruped Robot", which could autonomously track and follow the trajectory of an object of interest. This experience gave me insight into the shortcomings of technology and how I can use my abilities to make advancements. Towards the end of my program, I picked up core robotic subjects like Control Systems, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, Microcontrollers and Digital Signal Processing. With the strong foundation I gained in these subjects, I am confident in my ability to tackle complex challenges in this field.
During my undergraduate program, I also gained sufficient opportunities to pursue academic research and work in the industry to get practical experience in the field of robotics. Under the guidance of XXXX, Head of the XXXX, I participated in the CPS Challenge, where I was tasked with developing agile maneuvers for a multi-rotor drone. This competition provided me with an opportunity to put the theoretical knowledge and fundamentals I had acquired during my bachelor's degree into practice. I also went on to publishing a research paper titled "HRI using Machine Learning based Automatic gesture recognition with the KLT tracker". During the final semester, I worked at Int Robotics, a start-up specializing in Warehouse AMRs. I was responsible for developing software stack for coordinating multiple robots. After researching algorithms available, I created a path planner which plans robot routes on a search graph generated from a pixel map. This has certainly helped shape my perspective towards autonomous systems.
After graduation, I decided to undertake more research-oriented projects which will enable me to broaden my horizons and learn more about robotics. Therefore, I joined XXXXXX as a Robotics Engineer in their R&D Division. Here, I designed, created, and implemented the entire underwater navigation system. I was also the chief software architect of 3 Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) versions for mine reconnaissance, surveys, and additional purposes. I was fortunate to have the chance to work with a variety of advanced sensors, including INS, DVL, CMAX Side Scan Sonar, and Ultra Short Base Line, which are used for acoustic and navigation purposes. Working in this role has truly been a rewarding experience which gave me a deeper understanding of electromagnetic interference, wire harnessing and control dynamics in underwater systems. Currently, I am working on a research project aiming to localize our AUV in an unknown underwater environment using SLAM.
I chose the robotics master's program at the XXXX because first and foremost, it covers necessary core subjects like Nonlinear Systems and Control, and Motion Planning and Perception, which will provide a solid foundation to pursue research in autonomous systems. I am also eager to take advantage of the offline courses in Computer Vision and Machine Learning for 3D Geometry. Secondly, the program offers the opportunity to work with eminent faculty like XXXX whose research and projects in motion planning and control have been inspiring for me. I am also intrigued by the work in control systems like human motion controls conducted by Prof. XXXX in his XXX. Furthermore, the XXX Lab , led by Professor XXXX, is one of the foremost research facilities in the world for Marine Robotics. Their XXXX AUV and their work in Underwater SLAM have laid the groundwork for many of my own projects. I have been following their progress in low bandwidth multi-vehicle cooperation and Visual Augmented Navigation (VAN), which inspires me to be part of their team and learn more about their work. At XX, I am hoping to gain a better understanding of the complexities of underwater robotics and use this knowledge to develop more efficient and effective solutions for the Marine Robotics applications. I am confident that working with the XXX team would be an invaluable experience that would benefit my research opportunities. After finishing the program, I am eager to delve into robotics research and pursue my doctoral studies in marine and healthcare applications. I look forward to undertaking a new journey of challenges and achievements at XXXX beginning Fall 2023 with enthusiasm tempered with hope.
