STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

My interest in Robotics began when I read about a robot independently exploring the surface of Mars. I was
amazed at the idea of a rover millions of miles away from earth, sending data that might one day lead to a
human settlement on Mars. I was intrigued and read more about such applications that have helped mankind.
Since then Robotics has fascinated me, mainly because of its sheer potential for performing almost any task in
a simpler and more time-effective way.
I was fortunate enough to explore this field from a closer perspective during my undergraduate period when I
participated in various activities of the Robotics Club. I was able to integrate a range of different concepts to
create innovative projects. I believe that the scope of robotics is very vast in terms of research as well as
product development, and I am keenly interested in exploring both arms of the field. I wish to take the first
step towards a career in Robotics by pursuing postgraduate education in the field.
Since high school, I have dreamed of developing hardware solutions for existing problems plaguing the
industry. In order to fulfill this dream, I decided to pursue my undergraduate education in Mechanical
Engineering. As my interest in Robotics grew, I took relevant courses to gain a minor degree in Robotics. During
this period, I undertook courses on Artificial Intelligence, Computer Vision, Data Structures and Algorithms,
Embedded Systems, Mobile Robotics, Control Theory, CAM and Automation, Kinematics and Dynamics of
Machines, and Probability. My zest for this field has motivated me to put in a consistent effort that resulted in
a good academic record, being in the top 4% and bagging the 3rd rank in the entire department.
As I delved deeper into my coursework, I was quite eager to gain hands-on experience in the various
techniques and concepts. One of the first projects that I worked on was the programming of an ARM-based
microcontroller. The objective here was to develop an easy-to-implement library for ARM-based processors.
Through this project, I learned, in detail, about micro-controllers and their applications. Next, I developed an
independent pivot wheel drive which could be operated wirelessly via remote control. I designed and
fabricated a 3-wheel swerve drive that can be operated in crab mode. Apart from learning about drive systems,
I also got the opportunity to present my project at the annual robotics exhibition held at IIT Delhi.
After successfully executing these two projects, I decided to take up more complex projects that involved the
development of functional robots. During this time, I got the opportunity to participate in Robocon 2018. For
this, I developed a three-wheeled holonomic drive system with multiple line sensing arrays and encoders to
provide feedback for localization. This project was my first experience in robotic systems development and
gave me immense knowledge in working with sensors and actuators.
Following this, I undertook the development of a smart mobile phone case that could automatically deploy
impact-absorbing elements when the phone would fall. I was involved in the design of the electrical circuit,
after which I planned the layout for the PCB in the Altium designer. The electrical circuit consisted of
subsystems for sensing, actuation, charging, and power optimization. My team and I fabricated a prototype of
the cover and received a seed funding of INR 200k from IIT Delhi for further developments.
After this, I once again got the opportunity to work on robotic systems, where I developed a human feeding
robotic arm that can assist physically challenged and sick people. I integrated a neural network-based face
detection library to determine precise location of the user’s mouth and a facial gesture recognition system to
trigger responses. Through this project, I learned about vision-based manipulation and understood how to
build systems that can interact with humans.
I decided to take my knowledge further by undertaking a project on the development of a legged robot. I
worked with two other undergraduate students to build a horse-like quadruped robot, which could traverse
various terrains like slopes and stairs. We built simulation models for the robot and performed dynamic
analysis of different static gaits and foot-end trajectories to ensure the stability of the robot while walking. The
results from the simulation were used to fabricate the final model. Currently, we are working on developing a
ROS navigation package for the robot, to enable its autonomous navigation in indoor environments.
Another important project that I have been working on is navigational assistance for people with visual
impairment. I developed an audio-based Android app to navigate the visually impaired to their destination. The
application includes a blind-friendly interface and various features that were developed after extensive testing
and feedback from users. Currently, I am working on a research paper highlighting the results of the
application, and I hope to publish it soon so that visually challenged people can benefit from this app.
For my undergraduate thesis project, I decided to convert RoboMuse, which is IIT Delhi’s indigenous mobile
platform, to a mobile manipulator. I tested the suitability of different robotic manipulators and compared their
performance in a simulated environment. I performed inverse kinematics and path planning for the different
manipulators using ROS MoveIt. For tracking and following objects, I implemented and compared various
object detection techniques. The object bounding box was used for 3D pose estimation of the object to be
grasped. Grasping was performed by iteratively estimating the object pose and moving the end-effector
towards the object. After performing the pick and place task in simulation, I tested the vision algorithms on the
real robot using a Kinect sensor. Presently, I am working on integrating a manipulator with the real robot.
During the course of my undergraduate studies, I received the wonderful opportunity to work as a research
intern at Robotics Research Centre, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Here, I was involved in
developing a simulation system for robots that can be used for testing machine vision and navigation
algorithms on robots. I simulated a virtual environment in Gazebo using stereo images from the real
environment. I incorporated a number of computer vision algorithms including text recognition, face
recognition, and object detection into a single package. This internship helped me acquire exposure,
experience and, skills required to undertake research in the field of robotics.
In a venture to explore beyond the confinements of the curriculum, I took part in several robotics-related
activities. I got the opportunity to represent IIT Delhi in ABU Robocon for two consecutive years. Being Asia’s
largest Robotics competition, my experience in these events had fostered my passion and skills in this field.
These activities supplemented my leadership skills as well. I served as the Technical Coordinator of the club for
the session 2018-19 and led the IIT Delhi contingent for Robocon 2019. I also had the opportunity to mentor
my juniors and assist them in their learning process. I also acquired other important skills such as organization,
communication and management skills through my participation in these activities.
Despite the knowledge and exposure that I derived from my undergraduate curriculum, I felt that the subjects
lacked depth. I feel that an undergraduate degree is not sufficient in meeting the robotics challenges in the real
world. Hence, I wish to pursue postgraduate education in Robotics so that I can develop my skills through a
more comprehensive curriculum. After completing my higher education, I wish to make original contributions
to the field of robotics by being a part of the research community. Eventually, I would like to work in industrial
research and development, building suitable technologies that can directly benefit humankind.
The Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, renowned for its excellent learning environment and
intellectually challenging course work aimed at providing a multi-disciplinary experience, has attracted me to
this university. In order to take the first step into the world of robotics research, I wish to pursue my
postgraduate education in Robotics by undertaking the Master of Science program at CMU. Given my intense
passion and relevant experiences in the field of robotics, I look forward to working in your state-of-the-art
research facilities and contributing to the ongoing research projects at your premises.
I would be delighted to be offered a place to study at Carnegie Mellon University. By habit, I am a conscientious
student, meticulous and hard-working and will strive to utilize the opportunity to the best of my ability.

Arjun Bhardwaj
arbhardwaj98@gmail.com