This summer, with the generous support of Wabash College, I had the incredible opportunity to intern at the Shanghai Translational Medicine Lab. There, I worked on an innovative project: creating a reinforcement learning control system for a 3 mm soft robot. Through this internship, I was able to combine my love of machine learning with practical robotics experience, beyond the limits of what I had previously believed to be feasible.
During the first few weeks, I focused on establishing an optimal environment for accurate data collection. This involved creating a reliable computer vision algorithm to capture the robot’s behavior and the input from the magnetic coils controlling it. With these foundations in place, I transitioned to developing a simulation environment. The simulation became a crucial testing ground for refining our reinforcement learning algorithms before applying them to the real-world robot. It was a challenging yet rewarding process, as each step brought me closer to understanding the complexities of soft structure
dynamics and motion control.
One of the most important lessons I learned from this experience was the value of persistence and flexibility in research. Although not every strategy was successful the first time, every failure provided a chance to grow and learn. Because my work involved multidisciplinary collaboration across domains like computer vision, robotics, and control systems, I also learned the importance of interdisciplinary teamwork.
One of the best parts of this internship, aside from the technical experience, was getting to know friends from all around the world. I formed enduring friendships with other interns from a variety of backgrounds while working in an international setting; they all contributed distinctive viewpoints to our initiatives. These relationships deepened my learning and expanded my perspective on international cooperation in science and technology.
This project allowed me to leverage my analytical skills and my drive for continuous learning. The experience has reaffirmed my long-term goal of pursuing a career in machine learning and robotics, where I can contribute to innovative solutions in technology.
I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to my supervisor, Dr. Esteban Poffald, for his important advice and assistance. I also want to express my sincere gratitude to the donors who helped make this endeavor possible. Their kindness has enhanced my academic experience and aided in my professional and personal development
