Why did you choose to study at WPI?  

I was aware of WPI due to my involvement in the First Robotics Competition. Since I’ve always been fascinated by robotics, WPI was an excellent fit for me. I particularly enjoyed the project-based learning approach and the numerous opportunities to get involved in various activities if you’re willing to put in the effort. There are also numerous clubs and resources available and the location near several major companies and robotic infrastructure is a significant advantage. 

How are you involved with the WPI community?  

I’m involved in a research project called GR-0X, which is part of the Autonomous Loco-Manipulation Systems (ALMaS) research group. I will be lead the project for the next 4 years. Our goal is to develop a humanoid robot from scratch. The project has some novel mechanical design that makes it more efficient and versatile than other humanoid robots, but the design is currently under patent review, so I can’t reveal what this design is and the robot’s capabilities. The intention is to create a humanoid that can understand natural language and respond to commands using reasoning in its verbal and physical responses. This is essentially what the company Figure AI (artificial intelligence) is doing to solve the general problem of how to create a robot with human-like intelligence and movement. 

What’s your favorite thing about WPI?  

I love that WPI gives you the freedom to decide how you want your academic experience to be: from choosing your own classes and being able to personalize your education completely, to allowing you to join amazing clubs, research groups, or communities. The university gives you the freedom to decide your future and work for it. 

Do you have a faculty or staff mentor?  

Professor Agheli, the faculty member in charge of the GR-0X bipedal humanoid robot research, has been my mentor throughout this process. He assigned me the responsibility of this major research after conducting some smaller research for him before joining WPI. He has been an invaluable resource and always provides guidance since he is an expert in legged robots. 

How has WPI’s project-based learning influenced your education?  

I’ve found that the projects I’ve worked on have taught me more than what I could learn just through lecture in a classroom. You learn not only how to accomplish a goal but also how to troubleshoot problems and find efficient solutions. For example, in my Robotics Engineering 1001 class, we had to have a robot pick up a piece of fruit, which was challenging. However, my team figured out a way to create a control that allowed the robot to pick a piece of fruit from a tree, even though our sensors weren’t very good. We solved many issues that helped us accomplish the goal.