I feel enormously privileged to devote myself to research in Robotics, especially given my passion for data-driven control theory and optimization problems for nonlinear dynamic models. For a variety of reasons, the University of XXXX is my first choice among master's degree programs in Applied Mathematics with a focus on Robotics; most of all, the sheer excellence of your program and its interdisciplinary, research-driven environment. I appreciate how XXXX serves as one of the world's principal centers of creativity in Robotics development.
For me, Robotics represents the fullest interdisciplinary fruition and technological advancement in my three principal areas of study that stand as pillars of my academic background and springboard for my future success: Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. I see Applied Mathematics as the principal foundation of all of these areas. I appreciate how recent developments in computing power, machine learning techniques, and the exponential increase of data require increasingly advanced approaches to data management to take full advantage of the potential for Robotics, particularly concerning the data-driven control of dynamic systems.
I entered college with a great interest in Robotics as a mechanical engineering major. By my third year of college, I took upper-level courses in mechanical engineering, such as Dynamics and Automatic Control. I became deeply immersed in and engaged with Control Theory. I came to better appreciate the foundational importance of advanced mathematics by taking classes in complex variables, dynamical systems, and numerical analysis. Thus, I increasingly came to see Mathematics as the key to future success in Robotics; I, therefore, changed my major from Mechanical Engineering to Mathematics.
In the second semester of my junior year, I joined the team at the Mechatronics, Control, and Robotics Laboratory under the supervision of Professor XXXX. When I first joined the lab, I began learning about Robot Operating systems (ROS) to manipulate robotic arms and realized I had found my calling. Although I had taken an introductory programming class, it was the first time I gained hands-on experience in computer systems. Later, I started building humanoid robots from scratch alongside one of the doctoral candidates I met in the lab. One of my most important tasks was optimizing the Foot Pressure Sensor and Inertial Measurement Unit using the Kalman filter to neglect noise. When we finished building the physical model, we started making the control model using Linear Quadratic Regulator with a linearized inverted pendulum. Next, I began implementing the nonlinear Model Predictive Model method. Currently, I am collecting data from the real world and simulation to predict the falls of the robot while walking with computer vision.
Underactuated robotics help us to understand the system better, leading to more energy-efficient control using the entire body dynamic. In Lie groups, dealing with rigid body motion in robotics is often represented in standard three-dimensional Euclidean space. Robots now have high degrees of freedom, the dimensions of such systems are exceedingly high, and a sparse nonlinear optimization technique is crucial to solving problems. My experience in the Robotics lab has convinced me that I have made the right decision, devoting my life to robotics research as it is in this area of study and technological advancement where I will be able to make my most total and most sustainable contribution to the global society and the many challenges that we face.
As I learned increasingly about your program and became convinced that the University of XXXX would provide me with the first step toward pursuing my dreams and allow me to become most successful at learning. The research projects at The Movement Control Laboratory of Professor XXXX, such as the development of software MuJoCo and a wide range of research areas, including Professor XXXX’s dimensionality reduction and data analysis technique for complex systems, are most attractive. I do not doubt that the excellent faculties, laboratory facilities, and curriculum offered at the University of XXXX would provide me with a positive experience and become an effective synergist for pursuing my dreams. I am confident that I have the potential to excel. I look forward to attending a supportive institution that will provide me with an environment where I can fulfill my potential.
Thank you for considering my application.
MS Robotics, CS, EE, ME Personal Purpose Statement