Content of the study program

I participated in a year-long study abroad in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Technical University of Munich. I joined in the research team Lehrstuhl für Steuerungs- und Regelungstechnik (LSR) led by Professor Martin Buss. My research applied physical modeling to simulations of a robotic arm with flexible joints.

Originally, I was creating robotic arms with a new type of flexible joint. which was my specialization at Waseda University. However, my research was stagnant due to my lack of knowledge in simulations and the associated software architecture. My motivation to participate in this study abroad program was to gain knowledge through a practicum that can be directly applicable to my research. I also wanted to contribute to the local research through the program.

Study results

The research goal of our team was to create software that allows robots to perform complex tasks. This was achieved in a stepwise manner. First, we made robots learn through sensor data attached to humans who performed actions several times. Then reinforcement learning generated optimal robotic arm trajectories to achieve simple tasks. Eventually, the robots achieved complex tasks by automatically combining multiple simple tasks. Therefore, I was able to study and perform activities that cover a wide range of fields, including collection of data used by robots, database generation, reinforcement learning, statistical theories, and computer programming.

Because I joined an exchange program in a department slightly different from my specialization, I was able to actively study courses in different fields such as a business course to analyze the market involving robotic arms. In addition, I attended other courses such as statistical theories, which I previously felt to be difficult to self-study. Fortunately, the lectures provided systematic learning. I also took a course in robotic arms encompassing theories to control using Robotic Operating System (ROS), and lectures offered by my supervisor. It became easier to proceed with research activities due to the effective interplay between these courses and the knowledge obtained through research.

My experience abroad

I have never lived alone nor experienced a long-term overseas stay. Although the 11-month stay was stressful as things often didn’t go as expected, it was also an enjoyable and valuable experience. I felt it was beneficial to have my mental toughness trained well through this experience. I had to swing into action to tackle a variety of challenges. I learned that I can switch my mind off of things that happened rather than crying over spilled milk.

Both research and courses at the university were conducted in English with various technical terminologies, but daily life was half German. I greatly improved my skills in both languages. Because I didn’t know any German, understanding a language completely unfamiliar gave me a confidence in language. By working on research drastically different from my research field, I was able to broaden my perspective. I am now able to see from a different point of view. Europe has a very different culture and customs from those in Japan. I tried to visit as many European countries as possible during my stay, which resulted in a real experience of cultural diversity that cannot be found in my own country.

Influence on my future career

My research in Japan was related to hardware. After working on software-related research using reinforcement learning and simulations, I am keenly aware of the differences between the two. This has allowed me to broaden my research perspective and see things from a different viewpoint. Based on my experience, I have decided to continue working on robotic arm development, and by knowing my suitability between the two helped me to plan my future direction.

Furthermore, by studying in graduate school abroad, I met many people in and outside the lab who were studying abroad for their future research or employment. I had many opportunities to discuss oversea career plans with them. Therefore, it lowered a mental hurdle to work overseas. For these reasons, the study abroad program broadened my future perspectives more realistically.

Other comments

Originally, I was contemplating conducting research at the Technical University of Munich while absorbing knowledge through the courses by participating in an exchange study program. At the same time my supervisor, Professor Sugano introduced me to the Top Global University (SGU) program, which ignited my interest. In the end, I not only stayed abroad but also conducted research and studied in parallel. Additionally, I was able to focus on these activities without financial worries. I am extremely grateful for the SGU program.
Ms. Ikeda who is a staff member at SGU helped me with scholarship matters and assisted with issues in daily life. I owe her greatly. I deeply appreciate all the support during my stay of approximately a year.