SOP Sample for MS Robotics in UK | Electronics & Communication

Statement of Purpose

The countdown "Battle bots ready 3...2...1...fight!!" still rings in my mind when I recall the "Robowars" tournament that I took part in during my 12th grade. I felt like Optimus Prime while controlling the mini wedge-based battlebot at the finals. I exclaimed, "We won!!" while embracing my teammates when we secured second place after four fearsome fights. This embarked on the beginning of my robotics journey, which galvanized me to work hard and pursue engineering in Electronics and Communication.

Coming from a farming-centric family, I have always known the predicaments faced by farmers and decided to tackle one of the key issues—"ineffective irrigation"—using my engineering skills. Consequently, during freshman year, my friends and I designed a bespoke capacitive soil moisture sensor dispersed across the farmland and interfaced it with ATmega-32, which in turn operated the motor and electro-magnetic-solenoid valve. Furthermore, parameters such as the crop type and weather forecast (precipitation and humidity levels) were considered to regulate irrigation. Our project bagged first place in the state-level engineering competition [COMPETITION_NAME]. This win boosted my confidence to participate in multiple competitions.

During sophomore year, I participated in the national-level [COMPETITION_NAME] Robotics competition held at [UNIVERSITY_NAME] to improve my technical prowess and contribute further to the agricultural area. Our challenge was to design and develop a system of three autonomous robots to emulate precise farming actions like fertilizing and weeding. In the pursuit of realizing the same, I designed a robotic arm and fertilizer dispensing system, developed a path traversal algorithm based on Dijkstra's, BFS, and A* algorithms, and interfaced sensors and electro-mechanical actuating systems. The robots were programmed to communicate and coordinate their positions using the ZigBee protocol in order to map the obstacles, prevent collisions, and efficiently cover the arena by transmitting the location of crops that required weeding or fertilizing to the respective autonomous system. I was exposed to multiple architectures and systems of microcontrollers and improved my embedded programming abilities. After a year's effort, my team advanced to the semi-finals ahead of 1000+ teams. This experience taught me how to tackle problems in a systematic manner while being pertinacious.

I interned at an e-cycle startup during my sophomore year summer break. I was tasked with developing a battery management system, interfacing electronic speed controller (ESC), hub motor, and the LAUNCHXL-CC2650 in order to transmit real-time data to a mobile app through Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). The PD controller was created to establish the goal speed and maintain the voltage at an optimal level based on the speed. To conserve energy, we also developed a regenerative braking system, but due to excessive rolling friction and irregular charging that harmed the battery, we finally opted for an inexpensive basic braking system. The final model could go at an average speed of 30 kph and cover around 57 kilometers on a single charge. This experience sparked my interest in the field of control and embedded systems.

In contrast to my experiences building ground robots, I built fixed-wing UAVs while being an active member of the university's aeromodelling club called "[CLUB_NAME]" during junior year. I was chosen to lead the technical team the year after. Under my supervision, our team designed a one-of-a-kind compressible wing (5.71:1 compression ratio) that set us apart from other competitors. Finally, after myriad trials and testing, we competed in the [COMPETITION_NAME] 2019 (micro-class), finishing fourth in technical design report and among the top ten worldwide in overall performance. The wing lacked ailerons because of its compressible nature, reducing the aircraft's controllability. Hence the following year, we learned from our mistakes and focused on improving the stability of the aircraft by replacing the compressible wing with a foam-based wing along with ailerons, reducing the load on the tail and allowing higher payload capacity. We were among the top six teams in overall performance around the globe (2020). We also organized an aeromodelling workshop for 120+ students, where I taught basic aerodynamics and the process of building RC planes from scratch. The experiences I gained laid a foundation and piqued my interest in the field of aerial robotics.

During junior year, I used my newfound interest in aerial robotics by competing again in the national-level [COMPETITION_NAME] Robotics competition as a team leader, where the theme was to design an algorithm that allowed a mini drone to autonomously navigate along a defined course while avoiding obstacles, with the aid of an overhead camera, ROS, and ArUco/whycon markers. I implemented PID control logic, tuned the constants manually, and developed a path traversal algorithm based on RRT* and OMPL. One of the major challenges we faced was that the drone drifted in an erratic manner beyond the camera frame of reference, as the coordinates were not visible from the whycon marker. Hence we created a virtual barrier using the coordinates of the arena's corner with the aid of the markers. After a year-long effort, we advanced to the finals held at [UNIVERSITY_NAME], were among the top four nationwide, and I was awarded a reputable internship program at [UNIVERSITY_NAME]'s robotics lab. Here I implemented auto-tune algorithms such as the Ziegler-Nichols method to reduce the time required to tune the UAV, created multiple ROS packages, and designed an algorithm capable of navigating the 3D space with the aid of an ArUco marker, which was quite challenging because the quadrotor could only perceive three ArUco markers at any given time, making it difficult to track the path. The entire junior year was filled with exciting challenges and the joy of learning various concepts, and it was then that I decided to pursue my research in the field of aerial robotics. Managing academics and multiple projects while leading two competitions taught me how to manage time and resources—skills that I value to date.

In senior year, from all the experiences acquired, my paramount emphasis was on designing a UAV, the "Telescopic Twin-copter," with a unique state-of-the-art telescopic mechanism that allowed the bi-copter to morph in mid-flight. Tuning the bi-copter, particularly in the YAW axis, was tedious due to high noise in sensor data; hence, I implemented multiple filters and control logic. Also, the body was structured in the form of an airfoil to attain better stability. Later, our project was published in [PUBLICATION_VENUE]. This marked the conclusion of my exciting engineering program.

I realized the importance of Machine Learning in the field of robotics when I joined [COMPANY_NAME] in order to gain industry exposure. The primary focus was to broaden my knowledge on machine and deep learning concepts. Hence I worked on numerous algorithms such as SBERT and semantic search and developed multiple NLP-based chatbots. I also acquired RASA advanced developer accreditation and designed a computer vision algorithm based on YOLO to identify [COMPANY_NAME] products in any given environment. The chatbots won numerous honorable accolades, such as the "Digital Communication Award," "Communicator Award," and many more. The technical skills acquired here allowed me to enhance my senior year project further as I designed a Reinforcement Learning algorithm to replace PID/Fuzzy logic of the bi-copter's in-flight stability.

I believe that in the future, airborne robots will play a vital role in "agriculture," "logistics," and "rescue operations" sectors. My research goals and my strong propensity to pursue a master's degree in robotics specializing in control systems, aerial robotics, and deep learning stem from the diverse set of experiences I gained to date. Research in these areas by [PROFESSOR_NAME] in his "Swarming Algorithms used to achieve Goal-based Missions," "Cooperative Planning for an Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle Fleet Using Reinforcement Learning," and "Solving Constrained Trajectory Planning Problems—Biased Particle Swarm Optimization" has piqued my interest, and I want to further contribute to these projects. The exceptional resources in UAV, aerospace autonomy and UAS laboratories allow us to compete and coordinate in various research projects. [UNIVERSITY_NAME] offers a curriculum in collaboration with industry giants providing students the opportunity to tackle real-world challenges while enabling better career prospects. After completing my Master's, I want to pursue a Ph.D. in the same field and continue my career as a research scientist helping the startups that build intelligent autonomous systems. Being aware of the complete dedication that a career in research calls for, I am willing to strive beyond my boundaries in order to realize my aspirations.

I look forward to becoming a member of the academically rich community at the esteemed [UNIVERSITY_NAME], where I can learn, develop, and contribute.