The Value of Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Robotics

When Andrew Thompson (MSR '19) was growing up, he frequently found himself digging into a collection of science fiction paperback books by Isaac Asimov his grandmother had collected. Asimov produced The Three Laws of Robotics and is even credited with coining the term "robotics" by the Oxford English Dictionary, and he would ultimately serve as an inspiration to Thompson, who participated on and ultimately became an officer for his high school robotics and design team. 

At the University of Indiana, he went a different direction and majored in physics, folklore and ethnomusicology. When he arrived at Northwestern Engineering's Master of Science in Robotics (MSR) program, he wanted to explore the interface between humans and artifice. Today, he is pursuing postgraduate research with Dr. Brenna Argall at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, where clinicians, scientists, innovators and technologists work together to apply research in real time to physical medicine and rehabilitation.

Thompson recently reflected on his MSR experience, including how he benefited from his nontraditional background and the variety of robotics opportunities available at Northwestern.

What are your roles and responsibilities at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab?

My responsibilities include reviewing literature, restructuring the lab's codebase, and designing an experiment using the lab's autonomous wheelchair platform. I am hoping to attend a PhD program in Mechanical Engineering to continue working with assistive and rehabilitative robotics this fall.

What is it about robotics that you enjoy?

Robotics is a very broad field, and the inherently interdisciplinary nature of many questions within the field is very exciting! Despite being such a broad field, there are certain techniques and principles that exist in almost all walks of robotics, and MSR offers a great opportunity to gain an understanding of those skills.

You majored in physics, folklore and ethnomusicology at the University of Indiana​. What were your original professional plans after receiving those degrees?

I wanted to stay in school, though I wasn't sure what route I would take. Physics provided a solid STEM background, whereas the Folklore & Ethnomusicology program offered a wonderful survey of the humanities.

What was it about the MSR program specifically that appealed to you?

There weren't many robotics masters programs out there and of the ones that I did find, Northwestern's was the only one with such a rich departmental backdrop — what is now the Center for Robotics and Biosystems. The emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration in the department was a huge draw.

How would you describe your MSR experience?

MSR was exhilarating, at times nerve-wracking, and I learned more than I thought was possible in such a relatively short timespan. There were highs and there were lows. When you try to implement a controller and your robot moves as expected — that is elation! When you spend an entire week of frantic literature review only to find out you were barking up the wrong tree to approach a specific problem — you have to go back to the drawing board. 

The relationships that you make with your cohort are powerful, and in addition to learning a lot, I think we all made some great friends along the way. Another aspect of MSR that is worth noting is due to the inherently interdisciplinary nature of Northwestern's Mechanical Engineering department, there really is space for students to get involved in most, if not all varieties of robotics research that they find themselves attracted to. One of the most interesting classes I took during MSR was 'Soft Robotics', a hands-on seminar where we designed, fabricated, and tested 'squishy' robots, powered with air and constructed from elastic materials. 

I would recommend that anyone who is interested in MSR look at the huge variety of robotics research at Northwestern.

What were the biggest challenges you faced in the program, particularly given that you may not have come in with the same type of technical background as some of your classmates?

A good deal of the mathematics carried over from physics to mechanical engineering and robotics, though certain techniques and field-specific terminology did not. I was primarily involved with dynamics and electrophysiology during the course of my physics education, and, in particular, I had very little experience with controls coming into the program. Both the graduate and undergraduate classes at Northwestern are great for conveying a great amount of information in an arguably small amount of time, and if a class doesn't fit into your schedule to take, most professors are more than happy to let you audit/have access to course material for more individualized learning.

What would you say it takes to succeed in the MSR program?

MSR is a fast-paced program at 15 months ( and approximately three of those may be spent doing an internship). I think that a willingness to make mistakes and, despite that, keep moving forward is crucial to getting through challenging coursework on top of individual projects. The cohort is small, and I would absolutely recommend brainstorming with your peers when you hit a wall that seems insurmountable. 

On that note, prospective students should be comfortable speaking with professors and letting instructors know when they need assistance or if they want clarification on a concept. Especially with the rapidity of the quarter system at Northwestern, being able to communicate clearly to both your supervisors and peers goes a long way. Overall, if you come into the program with a desire to learn and a deep belief that robotics is one of the coolest fields out there, you're probably arriving with the right attitude!

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

I am deeply appreciative of my involvement in MSR, and I am certain that the experience has allowed me to develop professionally viable skills as well as allowing me to cultivate a network of peers doing awesome, incredible work.