STATEMENT OF PURPOSE I envision myself as a pioneer, an entrepreneur in the field of robotics. I dream of playing an exciting role in a world where automated systems move out of a manufacturing plant to interact with human beings. All along, I have chased every dream I’ve had. One such wish fulfilled was admission into the reputed National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, rated amongst the finest in India. My passion for machines was further stoked during my undergraduate studies. My subjects included Theory of Machines, Strength of materials and Industrial Automation and Robotics. I made it a point to transcend the curriculum by interacting with Industry personnel and absorbing myriad books and engineering journals. The twin problems of fossil fuel depletion and pollution captivated my imagination during my undergraduate studies. I worked under Professor Ajay Trehan on biodiesel fuels and their emission characteristics. In my freshman year, I presented a review paper titled Bio Diesel Fuels as an Alternative fuel in India, at the Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore. The paper was well appreciated and selected as “Session First”. Another paper on the Role of Bio diesel Fuels in Reducing Air Pollution was published at ‘Advances in Energy’, an International energy conference held at IIT Mumbai in December, 2007. It will also be published at the fifth International Conference on Bio Fuels to be held in New Delhi, February 2008. In my papers, I explained the role of alternative fuels, particularly those obtained from bio sources, in reducing harmful emissions. I listed the mixed bio diesels that are better suited for an agricultural country like India, which needs energy security, along with reduced pollution levels. I was then selected for an internship of three months at Volvo India. My stint included forecasting the capacity of the vendor for the forthcoming years with a view to streamline its supply chain process. This project required me to carry out complex tasks and develop a capacity evaluation model in a timely and competent manner. It honed my analytical and problem-solving skills. During the course, I tried to look at issues faced by workers at the factory level. My model was well appreciated and Volvo India has decided to use the process flow I had adopted as a template for future evaluations of capacity for other suppliers. The brief period at Volvo also exposed me to supplier-buyer interactions, as a result of which I published two papers: Collaborating Supply Chains by Optimizing Milk-Run and Using game theory to explain buyer supplier interaction, in the Journal of Indian Institute of Industrial Engineers, Mumbai, in 2007. My first paper provides step-by-step information on how to collaborate supply chains. It discusses a few models on manufacturer-supplier relationships and outlines a systematic way of reducing the current nine links to three links in the supply chain at Volvo. My second paper illustrates some of the steps that could be followed to affect a continuous improvement process. The training at Volvo also gave me hands-on experience on robotics and automation at work in a manufacturing cell. Because of my sustained interest and strong belief in bringing engineering to life, I designed and built Mark 1, an autonomous mobile robot as part of my Final Year Project. The aim of
this project was to enable my college labs acquire a Mobile Robot platform to serve as a test bed for future experimental testing. Mark 1 is controlled autonomously by the AVR ATMEGA 32, a popular microprocessor-based robot controller designed for personal and educational robotics projects. In addition, its operating system software supports Interactive C, a C-like programming environment. Mark 1 has 12 ultrasonic sensors for detecting the features of the immediate surroundings, and its Mobility is provided by a differential drive system. To bring my ideas to life, I first designed the vehicle. The next step involved fabrication of a printed circuit board and the interfacing of the sensors with the micro-controller. I also developed a computer program for path planning and obstacle avoidance by the robot. Because I fully planned and executed this project, I acquired substantial knowledge of circuits, programming and appreciated the practical difficulties involved in breathing life into a theoretical concept. This project involved an in-depth study of many books and journals. Papers on Virtual force field theory, Vector field histogram by J Borenstein, Uncertainty Management of Mobile Robots by Ronald Arkin and books like Sensors and methods of mobile robot positioning by J Borenstein, H.R Everett and L.Feng proved to be an invaluable asset to me while building my model. However, in spite of my rich experiences and education, I realize that there are still gaps in my knowledge, which make me contemplate a graduate degree from a top university in the US. This is because I perceive research in my own country lacking the sophisticated and advanced facilities available in the US. After MS, I would like to pursue a PhD and then work in a company such as Gecko Systems, Honda Labs, iRobot or in universities like Media Labs MIT, Georgia tech and Michigan Ann Arbor as a research scientist. The stint would arm me with the practical skills to bring engineering theories to life. It would also give me an understanding of the demand for robots, the areas where they are needed most in the world, and help me test my knowledge and ideas in the market dynamics of the corporate world. After 10 years, I plan to return to India and start a company that specializes in making personal and industrial robots. I would like to be affiliated to a university in India, even as I pursue my entrepreneurial aspirations, so that I can combine theoretical breakthroughs with practical implementation. My organization would combine the features of a manufacturing plant as well as a research lab, and my areas of specialization would encompass personal and industrial robots. My aim is to enable people to lead a better quality of life, without the drudgery that characterizes everyday tasks. As my developing nation is just stepping into a brave, new world of technology and economic empowerment, I plan to provide some of the revolutionizing energy that can improve its efficiency. I want the University Of Michigan, Ann Arbor, to be my medium for realization of my goals. The research work in the field of Control Engineering at Umich-Ann Arbor, especially in areas like Mobile Robotics, Haptics, and Robotics and Robots fascinates me. I have already perused some papers by the Control Engineering faculty such as Johann Borenstein and Brent Gillespie, which helped me to develop my robot, Mark 1. I would love to work directly with them on further projects. Pursuing a Masters in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, with a specialization in Systems and Control would thus translate my dreams to reality.
