Autonomous Robots are best equipped not only to explore extreme environments that are adverse to humans but also accomplish the desired task efficiently !
Abhra Roy Chowdhury, our next pathbreaker, Assistant Professor of Robotics & Automation at IISc Bangalore, is the founder and head of the ‘Robotics Innovations Lab’ responsible for creating, managing and executing translational R&D projects in Human Centered Robotics & Machine Intelligence.
Abhra talks to Shyam Krishnamurthy from The Interview Portal about his PhD at NUS (National University of Singapore), on the design and development of an autonomous bio-inspired underwater robot for exploring marine environments which was funded by the Ministry of Singapore (FSTD) and Office of Naval Research (ONR USA).
For students, always strive to be better everyday at work, and create sustainable human-centred technologies that make a positive impact on the society.
Abhra, Your background?
I was brought up in Varanasi. Growing up, I took part in extra-curricular activities primarily in Sports, Recitation and Painting. Arts as well as sports were my initial interests.
I selected the science stream in school.
My father and mother are Certified Yoga teachers – Yogasadhnakendra. My father is an Ex- Government of India Employee, and my mother is a teacher, Sitar player, and homemaker.
What did you do for graduation/post graduation?
I obtained my BE (ECE) degree from VTU, and MTech degree specializing in Control Systems from the Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT BHU) Varanasi. I was awarded the prestigious IIT Gold medal by the Honorable president of India (Late) Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.
I earned my PhD degree in BioRobotics from ECE, NUS (National University of Singapore) in 2015. I completed my PhD studies at the Electrical Machines and Drives Laboratory (EMDL). I received the NUS PhD Research Scholarship 2011-2014 among many other awards & accolades. During my PhD, I collaborated with Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) Singapore, TMSI – NUS and Office of Naval Research (ONR) USA.
https://www.abhraroychowdhury.org/biography
What were some of the drivers that influenced you to pursue a career in Robotics?
My brief meeting with the Hon’ble President APJ Abdul Kalam was the biggest influence on my career. He told me to align my career goals with the nation’s development goals, and to enrich science and technology with my expertise for societal impact.
I also had constant encouragement and support of my parents, teachers, family and friends
Some of the key turning points in my journey would be receiving the prestigious IIT BHU Gold Medal and PhD scholarship at NUS Singapore.
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
I was associated as a Senior Engineer at Product Platform Hub, LG Electronics India. I worked on Technology Projects in the Home Appliances Division, which was my 1st job after MTech. I also served as an Intern at General Electric, John F. Welch Technology Center (JFWTC), Bangalore, India where I worked on MCB quality testing at their Consumer and Industrial (C&I) division.
I quit my job as I wanted to do a PhD. I chose NUS as their ECE dept is one of Asia’s and World’s top ranked programs. NUS’s reputation is very high, globally known for its R&D output, standards, alumni network, industry collaborations, infrastructure etc. Singapore is hub of a fascinating multicultural environment and a vibrant Indian diaspora.
I got a scholarship based on my UG, PG Marks + other achievements (papers, awards etc.), GRE score, Written Exam, Interview .
Can you explain the problem statement of your PhD (was it for an external agency?)
The project was on design and development of an autonomous bio-inspired underwater robot for exploring marine environments. It was funded by the Ministry of Singapore (FSTD) and Office of Naval Research (ONR USA). Collaborators included TMSI Singapore, Ocean Engineering Dept. MIT USA, NTU, IEEE OES Society USA, MTS Society USA, DSO and ST Technologies.
I was also a Teaching Fellow with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), National University of Singapore (NUS). Here, I was designing and teaching UG modules.
After my PhD, I was selected as research scientist during campus placement for Hitachi Ltd. R&D Japan at their Ibaraki office (Controls and Automation Unit).
I also applied and received a couple of postdoctoral positions in UK and Europe.
But I preferred to take up a position as a Postdoc fellow and later as Senior Research Fellow in Autonomous Robotics with the Temasek Labs and SUTD-MIT Design Center at Singapore University of Technology and Design, where I designed cooperative bio-inspired robotic systems for complex marine, aerial and terrestrial environments, and Robots in indoor (home) and outdoor environments.
These are multi robots systems that can scale to the level of swarm applications. A typical application is to map a given area and navigate through it to achieve a certain task like material delivery. Each of these robots will play a specific role to accomplish the task.
I have always been open to both academic or corporate roles as long as the work is engaging and purposeful.
How did you get your first break?
My 1st break was as Senior Engineer at Product Platform Hub, LG Electronics India
What were some of the challenges you faced? How did you address them?
I had to learn quickly and adapt to a new place (NUS) and contribute essentially to the end goals.
Where do you work now? Can you tell us about your current role
I am currently Assistant Professor of Robotics, AI and Automation, at the Department of Design and Manufacturing, Division of Mechanical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru – https://cpdm.iisc.ac.in/ril/ . I am a Reviewer and distinguished senior member of SERB, DST, GoI and IEEE USA.
What problems do you solve?
Design, development and analysis of human centered autonomous robotic solutions to real-world problems that are meaningful, efficient and reliable.
At IISc, as a part of my job, I also do industrial networking, collaborations and consultancy projects for specific use cases / industries both public and private e.g. DST/SERB, Ministry of Mines, MoE (HRD), HAL, BEL, DRDO, ISRO, Wipro, British Telecom, Hitachi, Tata Elxsi, Mercedes Benz, TVS, Teco Electric and many others.
I also actively collaborate with a number of universities abroad like Brunel University, Manchester University, UCL, UPF Barcelona, TU Darmstadt, RWTH Achen, TU Munich, Tampere University, Twente University , Aalto University, ECAM Lyon, Technion and many others for student exchanges and project tie ups.
What skills are required for your role? How did you acquire the skills?
Technical skills were acquired during my engineering(ECE), further higher studies (PhD) and R&D work experience that I earned at various organizations.
What’s a typical day like?
Developing and teaching courses, student consultation, developing and managing research projects, administration, industrial consultancy, public outreach, etc.
What is it you love about this job?
Opportunities to do innovative and synergistic work in the field of Robotics, AI & Automation for societal impact.
How does your work benefit society?
We create user-centric, trans-disciplinary and hands-on learning programs in both ‘Teaching and Research’ methods for students and researchers, in the area of ‘Human Collaborative Mobile Robots, Innovative Product Development and Technology Innovation’. The focus is on the design, development and analysis of autonomous robotic solutions to address real world problems in manufacturing, defence, healthcare, social care etc.
Tell us an example of a specific memorable work you did that is very close to you!
My team has developed several advanced robotic systems and solutions that are today successfully deployed and used in defence, manufacturing, services etc. They are serving the national, global, social and economic interests of the people.
Your advice to students based on your experience?
Strive to be better every day in your work.
Future Plans?
Continue to create, develop and deploy sustainable human-centred technologies making a positive impact on the society.