Statement of Purpose As Marcel Proust once said, "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes,

but in having new eyes." I too believe that in order to make a genuine contribution to science one must not only keep searching in the unknown, but must also learn to look at things with a new perspective. Mechatronics Engineering and Robotics has given me this new perspective and I am fascinated by robots that can think and respond like human beings. I complete my undergraduate degree in the summer of 2014 and wish to pursue a Master in Engineering degree in Robotics and Autonomous Vehicles at the University of Michigan which commences on the fall of 2014. Long term goals After a good deal of evaluation I have decided to apply for the Master in Engineering at the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department, particularly in the area of study of Robotics. I have great interest in Robotics, particularly in the application of mechanical systems in robotics. My long term goal is to become a robotics engineer so that I may design robots, develop new applications for them and maybe even conduct research in areas which have not applied the full potential of robotics. Background In order to get a greater understanding of the various engineering principles and to increase my technical scope, I pursued a degree in Mechatronics engineering at the University of Nottingham. My undergraduate training at Nottingham has given me exposure to robots and intelligent systems both in terms of research and learning. Mechatronics engineering did not only provide me with the fundamentals in mathematical modeling and electromechanical systems, but it gave me the chance to apply these concepts. Mechatronics is a combination of Mechanical, Electronics, Controls and Computer engineering and it fundamentally covered all the prerequisites for robotics. The curriculum included courses like Introduction to robotics, Control systems, Signal Processing, Introduction to electronics engineering, Ordinary Differential Equations and many others. I had the opportunity to work with robots such as six axis robotic arms from ABB and RHINO. Due to my inclination towards electromechanical systems, I selected electives like Integrated Systems Analysis and Advanced Control Systems to keep to my interests. I am currently working on my year long project titled "Automatic, Search and Rescue

Robot with 3D environment mapping" under the supervision of Dr.Kevin Lee. The main objective of this group project (group of 3) was to design and construct a fully automatic robot that can navigate and retrieve objects. A list of Industrial Internships and competitions that I have participated in can be found in my resume.

My primary interests Personally I had been most fascinated by courses such as robotics and Mechatronics lab, but I also had a passion for automation and mobile robotics. That was why I selected the Automated, Search and rescue robot for my final year project. I am looking forward to topics like Embedded control systems, Machine Learning and Vehicle Dynamics design during the Masters program at the University of Michigan. Why I have chosen the University of Michigan I believe that there are two main reasons why graduate study at a reputed university like yours is important for someone looking to achieve industrial excellence. The first reason is that working on a project under the guidance of an expert who can be a model is one of the most effective ways to transform a student into a professional. The other reason is focus on specific areas during graduate study is an ideal way to make students gain knowledge quickest and at the same time keeping up to the daily developments in their respective fields. Why I am the right person My undergraduate studies in Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Nottingham have given me the knowledge on the fundamentals in Mechanical, Electronics and Controls engineering. Through the two year long projects I have gained experience in areas of controls, CAD modeling, micro-controller and microprocessor technology. Apart from this exposure to the industry in the form of Internships has given me an idea of how the professional world works. Therefore I am confident I have the base and fundamental knowledge in Mechatronics and robotics. Concluding I am aware that perseverance and hard work is required to achieve satisfactory levels. Nonetheless, I am confident that my aptitude and urge to succeed will see me through these challenges. I hope to have a fruitful association with the University of Michigan.