Below is a study abroad experience report from Hiroto Iino (1st year master’s student, School of Fundamental Science and Engineering), who was able to go to Munich, Germany, to study at Technical University of Munich. This study abroad experience was possible due to support from Waseda University’s Top Global University project “Waseda Goes Global”, referred to as TGU below.
Hiroto IINO
- Study Abroad University: Technical University of Munich
- Country/Region: Munich, Germany
- Visiting Period: October 2022 to December 2022
Content of the study program
Under the Super Global University (SGU) program, I spent three months in the laboratory of Prof. Gordon Cheng at the Technical University of Munich, Germany. I worked on research on grasping movements using tactile information.
The reasons why I wanted to go abroad were that I wanted to work with special experimental equipment only available in the laboratory, and to improve my language skills and understanding of different cultures through interaction with international students.
I aimed to build a model in which the robot generates appropriate actions by adding tactile information when visual information obtained from the camera is not sufficient to handle an object. For the sake of simplicity in this study program, I aimed to build a model that generates the robot’s object grasping motion and to demonstrate the real robot movements using the model. I collected teaching data using an real robot, and built and trained a deep learning model.
Study results
It took longer than I expected to get the robot running, because I had almost no experience in operating a real robot. However, with the support of the PhD students, I was able to collect enough data for learning using the original tactile sensors in the laboratory. I discussed with them, sometimes late into the night, how to improve the robot using the model I had built.
Then, I was able to achieve my goal, although partially incomplete. I will continue to validate the data for any imperfections and will work to achieve greater results. In the next stage, I plan to further develop the research by considering its application in robots at Waseda University.
It was also a great achievement for me to be able to make contacts with many students and professors at the Technical University of Munich through this study program. I also improve my language skills through communication in meetings, daily discussions, and everyday casual chatting.
My experience abroad
I was very worried about staying in Europe alone for the first time without any experience ofliving alone, but I gained confidence in my ability to communicate actively and successfully complete my three-month study abroad program. At the Technical University of Munich, students of various nationalities communicate with each other in English. I realized how interesting it is to communicate with the world in English, and I also realized that my language skills were not good enough, which motivated me to study English even more. In addition, I was able to understand various cultures more deeply through living in contact with different cultures, and at the same time, I was able to rediscover Japanese culture that I had not noticed in my daily life. And by trying to imitate German culture and customs as much as possible during my study abroad, I was able to increase communication on topics of interest in my daily life, such as meals and how to spend holidays. Furthermore, I was able to experience more of the culture, and it gave me an opportunity to reconsider my daily habits that I had never considered before. Thus, the experiences in overseas were valuable not only for learning new knowledge but also for seeing new perspectives. I have great memories of going home late at night with the doctoral students who supported me every day, having Christmas parties, and visiting recommended places.
Influence on my future career
Through this study abroad experience, I found it very stimulating to work with a variety of colleagues and expanded my perspective. In the future, I am considering working for a company, and I want to challenge myself to be active on a global scale. On the other hand, my current communication level does not give me the confidence to do responsible work, so I am deeply aware of the need to improve my language skills, especially English conversation skills, and I intend to continue learning.
Other comments
Thank you very much for the support from SGU, which lowered the hurdles of studying abroad, such as funding and procedures, so that I could concentrate on my study activities while focusing on my life in the country where I was staying. I hope that support systems like SGU will expand and make it easier for more people to study abroad.
