Autonomous Technologies are driving efficiency in critical sectors such as food and agriculture through novel image recognition and deep learning based algorithms.
Gautam Dobariya, our next pathbreaker, works at Ant Robotics GmbH (Hamburg, Germany), an Agriculture Robotics startup, a company that develops different types of robots used in the agriculture industry.
Gautam talks to Shyam Krishnamurthy from The Interview Portal about his work at the University of Bonn, where he developed agriculture robots to help farmers by reducing their reliance on manual labor and their exposure to harmful pesticides.
For students, agriculture has always been an industry that has been low on tech adoption. But all that is changing and here is your opportunity to lead and innovate!
Gautam, Your background?
I grew up in Surat city of Gujarat. My mother is a housewife and father is a Diamond worker. Since my school days, I was very fond of all kinds of machinery thanks to my elder cousin. He was pursuing his Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering during that period. I used to talk with him about his experiences and sometimes read his books and since then my interests have been growing more and more.
What did you do for graduation / post-graduation?
I graduated with a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from one of the prestigious Universities of Gujarat. Then after two years of Industrial Experience, I decided to pursue a Master’s Degree in Mechatronics Engineering from Deggendorf Institute of Technology, Germany.
What were some of the drivers that influenced me to pursue such an offbeat, unconventional and cool career?
As mentioned above, in my early days of schooling, I was influenced by my cousin. And as my reading hobby grew, step by step, I gained more insights. During my graduation, my project guide and other professors helped me a lot to clear my doubts regarding my career. I also stay motivated by reading about great entrepreneurs.
How did you plan the steps to get into the career you wanted? Or how did you make a transition to a new career? Tell us about your career path
After graduating, I was not much connected to the corporate network. I got selected through direct campus placement. My first job was as a Mechanical Engineer in India’s biggest thermal power plant in Mundra. Initially, I went through some training and was then directly placed on the job onsite. After some months of experience, I decided to pursue master’s as the work was very repetitive which I don’t enjoy much. At that time, I was interested in new technology and innovation such as Robotics and AI. I found Germany to be the best place for me to get everything I wanted. First is the quality of education and then there are an ample number of opportunities. Second is the free higher studies. And then during my Master’s, I got the first opportunity to work on real robots through an internship in a big company. Though I was lagging in terms of knowledge in robotics, my commitment to work and learning attitude helped me to learn. After that, I didn’t look back. Alongside, I quickly started networking with like-minded and experienced people in the industry. Covid-19 lockdown was a blessing in disguise for me. During this period, I quickly gained more knowledge in areas where I was lagging. I read books and worked hands-on through some online courses and open source projects. I developed a research mindset while doing my Master’s thesis which again increased my literature review skills. I completed my master’s degree during covid-19 and submitted my master’s thesis in the novel area of Robot Localization and Navigation for which I got the highest points.
My internship was primarily focused on robotics algorithm development. Some of them were on LiDAR based mapping and localization. I also used a camera to get helpful information surrounding the robot which helps the robot to navigate in a static prior map.
My master’s thesis was on implementation of camera based SLAM. In simple terms, it is a combination of a localizing robot, and at the same time creating a visual map from it. The idea is that I can navigate to an unexplored area without prior map and avoid the possible collisions with obstacles. I implemented some “state of the art” algorithms on the robot and evaluated them.
Localization is a method to locate the current position of robot given a map. With the help of current position, robot can navigate to the goal position. And mapping is required for the robot to plan the path and generate control commands to further navigate the robot. There are different methods and range of sensors used for this. Currently, the focus is more on camera based methods because of low cost of camera and visual information derived can be interpretable. They nearly mimic human eyes.
Because of Covid aftereffects, the job market was in a very critical condition. But because of my networking skills and technical knowledge, I landed my first full-time job in Germany. I worked as a Robotics Developer at the University of Bonn. We developed some agriculture robots which help farmers to reduce reliance on manual labor and their exposure to harmful pesticides. I have a long-term goal of helping society through technology. I would like to build a startup in agriculture technology which helps Indian farmers to improve their livelihood. Keeping that goal in mind, I switched my job into an Agriculture robotics Startup. Currently I am working there as a Product developer which is an inch towards my goal.
How did you get your first break?
After my undergrad, I was selected on campus. I went through a difficult aptitude test, group discussion and some rounds of technical and HR interviews. I started practicing in the 6th semester itself. So, I got enough time for that.
In Germany, the process was a bit different than in India. I applied through job portals and networking sites. I went through some rounds of screenings like an approach to real world problems, working trial, hands-on tasks etc.
What were some of the challenges you faced? How did you address them?
Challenge 1: There were so many applicants for one vacancy. So I started preparing for interviews very early so that I had more time to practice. Initially, I was practicing by reading the solutions without trying them. But then I got stuck during the screening process.. Then I started working hands-on with them, which helped me a lot during the actual test.
Challenge 2: Initially, I got some rejections due to sending generic resumes and documents. Then I got to know that every application should be unique and according to the job requirement. I started spending more time on my resume and cover letter, and shaped them according to job description which helped to get more interview calls, one step further.
Challenge 3 : Finding relevant jobs online and in a timely manner is also a big challenge. To overcome that, I started spending more time on networking sites and slowly grew my network. I also set reminders on job portals which notified me as soon as there is a new job.
Where do you work now? Tell us about your current role
I work in an Agriculture Robotics startup, Ant Robotics in Germany. We develop different types of robots used in the agriculture industry. We try to work on sensors used for robots, like cameras for visuals, object detection, laser scanner, odometer etc. Then, there is the actuation part where we control robots in different environments and develop them for use by normal people who have no technical understanding of the system. Software development, Electronics and Hardware knowledge along with design are the most important skills for this field. I gained initial knowledge through study, online courses, hobby projects and over the years of experience.
What’s a typical day like?
A typical day goes in developing novel algorithms for sensors or controllers and testing them on real robots in the field in any weather. In my job, the most interesting thing is that every day I learn something new, which improves our understanding and clears up our biases. Everyday you get new challenges which were not thought of previously and solving them gives me utmost satisfaction.
How does your work benefit society?
Until now, agriculture has been an under-developed industry. People don’t care about the farmers and their problems. But now, with technology we can solve most of their problems while also improving their livelihood with increased income. This also keeps me motivated to continue working for this industry.
Tell us an example of a specific memorable work you did that is very close to you!
When we tested our robots for the very first time along with the workers and farmers, they were very happy because the robots helped them harvest more crops in the same time and the workers were not even tired at the end of the day. I still remember the tears of happiness in their eyes.
Your advice to students based on your experience?
I would advise them to develop the habit of reading and try to nurture their hobbies which will eventually lead to fulfilling work that they will enjoy. Try to help society through your work.
Future Plans?
I will work for some time in Germany to gain more expertise in the area along with growing a network in the community. As discussed, I would like to help the Indian agriculture industry and stakeholders by using my expertise.