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Indian Express
4 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Indian Express
‘I learnt to choose what drives me in University of Sheffield'
— Shreyas Mottur Venugopal My interest in studying abroad started around four years before I began applying, when I saw my older brother go through the process. He was researching for a suitable degree in Computer Science, and I watched as he balanced his International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma along with SAT prep. He applied to both American and European universities. Watching him work with such dedication and focus left a strong impression on me. I completed Classes 6 to 10 at a school in Bengaluru, where I also completed my International GCSEs (IGCSEs). However, since the school only offered the International Baccalaureate for Classes 11 and 12 — and I wished to pursue the International A-levels — I transferred to Head Start Educational Academy in Bengaluru, Karnataka, for my final two years of school. There, I followed the International AS and A-level curriculum. My subjects included Pure Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry at both AS and A-levels, along with Biology at the AS level only. As I was completing my Class 10 studies, I found that the IB diploma and US universities promoted a broader range of studies, including streams like humanities and arts. While interesting, I was far more keen on diving into STEM streams and engineering, and so decided to forgo IB, the SATs, and US universities to instead focus on European-based universities and the A-levels. Ultimately, I applied to places in the UK and the Netherlands. Since there was no language barrier in the UK and the opportunity to graduate in four years with a degree in Mechanical Engineering convinced me to finally accept an offer from the UK. UK universities were relatively simple as all applications could be carried out through UCAS. TU Delft and TU Eindhoven had their own portals for application, and it was a smooth process that required a personal statement for UCAS and a similar essay for the Dutch universities. Along with my AS-level results, I also needed predicted grades, which my school teachers were nice enough to write up and submit for me. I applied for the International Undergraduate Merit Scholarship at Sheffield, which at the time provided a 50 per cent fee waiver on the tuition fees, which greatly helped in funding my studies. The application itself only required me to answer two questions: 'Who are you, and what inspired you to study your chosen subject, and why have you chosen The University of Sheffield?' and 'What are your future ambitions after your degree, and how will your qualifications help you achieve this?' I found that the courses in the UK focus a lot more on understanding and applying theories and equations that we learn, rather than being able to recite them word perfect in an exam. As someone who really enjoys the science behind the engineering work, I found this style of exams much more interesting and useful long term compared to the more traditional CBSE exams in India. In addition, I found a big emphasis on group assignments and coursework, likely a chance to make students with more experience creating lab reports or design work that would actually be done more in industry. Finally, I also found that the UK education system was focused much less on doing 'perfect' or beating the other students in the class. Iin India, the most competitive exams force students to be certain to get every mark they can (and getting a 97% would move you back several thousand rankings compared to a 99%. Meanwhile, in the UK, the goal is simply to obtain a 70% overall. I found that this made exams less stressful and it gave me a chance to improve my grade by focusing on modules that I was good at, bringing up the average from modules that I was less suited to. I really enjoyed working with friends and other engineers on various projects and competitions, each with varying levels of playful interaction. One of the standouts was the Siemens Digitally Designed Stories Challenge. This took place in the Digital Innovation Zone (DIZ) at the University of Sheffield which is a cutting-edge facility developed in partnership with Siemens. It serves as a 'living lab' to accelerate digitalisation for students and to help advance our digital skills. I spent my first few days in the UK with my mother, who helped me settle into my accommodation. What struck me most was how quiet everything was. There was much less noise than I was used to, and loads of green space everywhere. We spent that week wandering around campus, sorting out registration, checking out local shops, and visiting what I later learned was called the Moor (which I initially thought was some sort of town square). I did run into a hiccup with registration. Something hadn't gone through, so I had to visit student support last-minute to get access to my email and timetable just in time for lectures. One nice moment I remember clearly was taking the tram for the first time. A very friendly conductor explained the ticket system to us and even suggested we visit a nearby mall while we had the day. It was one of those small, kind gestures that really stuck with me. After my mother left and I started settling in properly, I got along well with one of my flat mates, a student from Sri Lanka. As an icebreaker, we decided to cook chicken curry together. It was a bit of a disaster (burnt onions, way too spicy), but we had a good laugh and ended up going to the gym together a few times after that, before our schedules got too busy. I really enjoyed how walkable the city was. The parks, sidewalks, and trams made it easy to explore.I'd often head out just to walk around, take photos in random parks, or hop on a tram just to see where it went. During freshers' week, I met quite a few students and professors who were incredibly open and enthusiastic. It was freeing in a way: sleeping when I wanted, going for a walk at 7pm just because I felt like it, and stopping to take photos with no real agenda. It made me feel like I'd landed in the right place. Mostly, I found that Sheffield is on the cheaper end for cities in the UK, and with the scholarship I can usually keep up with the cost of living. I also work for the university part-time for open days — usually a 6–8-hour shift on a Saturday around 3 times a semester. It's not the most money, but it gives me a bit extra that I can justify spending on myself (for new shoes, a camping trip etc.). I also enjoy the work itself, talking to prospective students and their parents by showing them around, sharing why I love engineering, and helping them see if it might be the right fit. It's especially rewarding when someone clicks with it. I also think parents find it reassuring to hear how my messy start worked out, it gives them some peace of mind that their kids will be alright too. Studying abroad gave me the space to actually figure out what I wanted to do with my life. Back home, I'd study and do what I was supposed to because my parents told me to. It was just the routine. But after coming here, they gave me the freedom to decide how I wanted to spend my time. That shift was honestly a bit scary at first. Without someone checking in or guiding me, I had to take responsibility for the decisions I made, even when they went wrong. But over time, that helped me become more confident. Now, I am much more willing to try new things, even if I mess it up. I have realised that even if I make a bad call, I can usually find a way to fix it. And every time I face something I'm a bit afraid of, it becomes slightly less intimidating the next time around. It also changed how I approach motivation. I don't try to force myself to be great at everything anymore. If I enjoy a module, I'll go all in, give it my full attention, dive deep into the concepts, and try to properly understand what's going on. But if I don't connect with it, I'll do what's needed to pass, and I'm okay with that. It's not about being lazy, it's about choosing where to put my time and energy. That mindset has carried over outside university too. I've started spending my weekends hiking because I genuinely enjoy it. I dropped badminton because it didn't excite me anymore, and picked up running instead. I couldn't run 5k in school without struggling, but since coming here, I've finished multiple half-marathons. And I know I wouldn't have done any of that if I hadn't learnt to follow what actually drives me. (This letter is part of a series by The Indian Express where we bring to you the experiences of students at different foreign universities. From scholarships and loans to food and cultural experiences — students tell us how life is different in those countries and things they are learning other than academics) Mridusmita Deka covers education and has worked with the Careers360 previously. She is an alumnus of Gauhati University and Dibrugarh University. ... Read More
BBC News
02-05-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Soviet spacecraft launched over 50 years ago is heading to Earth
A piece of a Soviet spacecraft launched in 1972 is expected to crash back down to Earth very soon, experts say. The part, which is from the Cosmos 482 probe, was meant to land on the planet it made it into space successfully, the spacecraft wasn't able to complete its journey after something went of the remains of the rocket eventually came back to Earth within the 10 years that one final section, which experts say is the landing capsule or lander module, ended up stuck in space. It's now been there for 53 years. What exactly happened? The part of the spacecraft which was supposed to land on Venus was sent to the super hot planet to carry out scientific measurements, scientist Dr Marco Langbroek from Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) explained to Newsround. "The engine of the rocket that launched it stop working too early, so it was left stranded in an orbit around the Earth," he said."It then broke up, with the lander module that was supposed to land on the surface of Venus detaching from the main spacecraft."The main spacecraft, which was large and heavy, burned up in the (Earth's) atmosphere long the lander module kept orbiting the earth." What will happen next? As the landing capsule has been orbiting Earth in space, it has also been steadily falling towards Earth."...Within a few days, it will be so low that it can no longer do a full round around the Earth," Dr Marco told us. It will eventually enter the Earth's atmosphere, slowing down quickly in the process. "It will briefly become very hot, just like a shooting star. It will then fall down to earth, almost vertically," Dr Marco says. He predicts the spacecraft will enter the Earth's atmosphere around the 10 May and that its final speed will be similar to that of "a high-speed train or very fast race car". It's not yet known whether the piece of the spacecraft will survive its journey back to Earth, or whether it'll burn up as it crashes through the planet's atmosphere. But the risk of anyone or anything getting in the way of the plunging lander module is very low. It could hit the ground, or will most likely enter the sea. "You have a higher risk of being hit by lightning once in your life, than being hit by this falling spacecraft," Dr Marco told us. Although it's unlikely the lander will remain intact, it would have been full of instruments from over half a century ago, something which some experts are intrigued by. "It's almost a bit as if a time capsule is falling to Earth," Dr Marco said.
Mid East Info
17-04-2025
- Mid East Info
Artificial Intelligence Triumphs in World's Most Sophisticated Autonomous Drone Race in Abu Dhabi - Middle East Business News and Information
AI Drone Beats Human Pilot in Most Sophisticated and Challenging Series set up by A2RL x DCL Autonomous Drone Championship, Marking a Breakthrough in Autonomous Flight Innovation Over 2500 Spectators Watch Best Autonomous Drone Racers Battle it Out for $1M Prize Pool Across Four Cutting-Edge Race Formats, Mavlab (TU Delft) Dominates the Championship with Three Wins in the AI Grand Challenge, AI Drag Race and AI Vs Human; TII Racing (Technology Innovation Institute, Abu Dhabi) Wins the AI Multi-Autonomous Drone Race Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: The Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL), part of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), in collaboration with the Drone Champions League (DCL), concluded the inaugural A2RL x DCL Autonomous Drone Championship in the Middle East, at ADNEC Marina Hall, Abu Dhabi, UAE. In a major breakthrough for autonomous flight and aerial robotics, Team MavLab's AI drone outpaced a world-leading human pilot to win the AI vs Human Challenge. The head-to-head duel was the most complex ever staged, featuring finalists from the DCL Falcon Cup—some of the top drone pilots in the world. Over two high-intensity days, 14 international teams qualified for the finals week, with the top four advancing to compete across multiple challenging race formats. Teams from the UAE, Netherlands, Austria, South Korea, the Czech Republic, Mexico, Turkey, China, Spain, Canada and the USA represented a mix of university labs, research institutes, and startup innovators. Each team raced a standardized drone equipped with the compact yet powerful NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX computing module, a forward-facing camera, and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) for onboard perception and control. With no human input, the drones relied entirely on real-time processing and AI-driven decision-making to reach speeds exceeding 150 km/h through a complex race environment. The course design pushed the boundaries of perception-based autonomy—featuring wide gate spacing, irregular lighting, and minimal visual markers. The use of rolling shutter cameras further heightened the difficulty, testing each team's ability to deliver fast, stable performance under demanding conditions. This marked the first time an autonomous drone race of this scale and complexity was staged on such a visually sparse track, underscoring the ambition and technical challenge of the event. Championship Highlights AI Grand Challenge Winner : MavLab (TU Delft) set the fastest time on the 170-meter course, completing two laps (22 gates) in just 17 seconds. : MavLab (TU Delft) set the fastest time on the 170-meter course, completing two laps (22 gates) in just 17 seconds. AI vs Human Showdown Winner : MavLab's autonomous drone outpaced top human pilot—in a landmark AI vs Human showdown. : MavLab's autonomous drone outpaced top human pilot—in a landmark AI vs Human showdown. Multi-Autonomous Drone Race Winner : TII Racing emerged victorious in the multi-drone format, in a high-speed test of AI coordination and collision avoidance. : TII Racing emerged victorious in the multi-drone format, in a high-speed test of AI coordination and collision avoidance. Autonomous Drag Race Winner: MavLab (TU Delft) claimed victory in the world's first AI-only drag race, demonstrating straight-line speed and control under high acceleration against the championship's top teams. 'At ATRC, we believe innovation must be proven in the real world, not just promised,' said H.E. Faisal Al Bannai, Adviser to the UAE President for Strategic Research and Advanced Technology Affairs, and Secretary-General of ATRC. 'A2RL is more than a race, it's a global testbed for high-performance autonomy and reflects the UAE's commitment to advancing AI, robotics, and next-gen mobility responsibly.' 'The future of flight doesn't live in a lab – it lives on the racetrack,' said Stephane Timpano, CEO of ASPIRE, the hosting entity of the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League. 'What we saw this weekend brings us closer to scaling autonomous systems in everyday life.' Markus Stampfer, Executive Chairman of DCL, added: 'We brought elite racing conditions to autonomous flight—and the AI rose to the challenge. This was a major leap for both sport and technology.' Ecstatic after clinching three top titles, Christophe De Wagter, team principal of MavLab, shared 'Winning the AI Grand Challenge and the AI vs Human race is a huge milestone for our team. It validates years of research and experimentation in autonomous flight. To see our algorithms outperform in such a high-pressure environment and take home the largest share of the prize pool, is incredibly rewarding.' The A2RL X DCL Drone STEM Program, designed in collaboration with UNICEF and under the supervision of the ATRC, has trained over 100 Emirati students this year. Over 60% earned the prestigious Trusted Operator Program certification and 24 achieved perfect scores, showcasing the cutting-edge aviation skills being developed as part of the program. With the drone finale now in the books, all eyes turn to Season 2 of A2RL's autonomous car racing series, set for Q4 2025 at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.
Khaleej Times
17-04-2025
- Science
- Khaleej Times
Watch: Human pilot, AI race their drones in Abu Dhabi; who won?
A drone piloted by AI has convincingly beaten a human-controlled machine in an international drone racing competition in Abu Dhabi, marking a significant milestone in the development of artificial intelligence and autonomous flight. It also marked a global first, where AI outpaced human pilots 'in a race of such scale, speed and complexity featuring some of the top drone pilots in the world,' organisers of the inaugural A2RL (Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League) x DCL (Drone Champions League) Autonomous Drone Championship said on Wednesday. The AI-piloted drone of Team MavLab from Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), The Netherlands) outdone a world-leading human pilot to win the AI vs Human Challenge, one of the four race formats. Team Mavlab also dominated two other races, including the AI Grand Challenge, where it set the fastest time on the 170-meter course by completing two laps (22 gates) in just 17 seconds. The same team from TU Delft also claimed top spot in the Autonomous Drag Race, touted as the world's first AI-only drag race. Team Mavlab demonstrated straight-line speed and control under high acceleration against other top teams. Meanwhile, TII Racing (Technology Innovation Institute, Abu Dhabi) won the AI Multi-Autonomous Drone Race, a high-speed test of AI coordination and collision avoidance. The goal of the competition was to push the frontier of AI. The drone had access to just one forward-looking camera, a major difference from previous autonomous drone races. This is more similar to how human first-person view (FPV) pilots fly, and leads to additional perception challenges for the AI. Head-to-head duel The head-to-head duel between AI and humans was the most complex ever staged. 'With no human input, the drones relied entirely on real-time processing and AI-driven decision-making to reach speeds exceeding 150 km/h through a complex race environment,' the organisers noted. Watch the video below: The course design pushed the boundaries of perception-based autonomy— featuring wide gate spacing, irregular lighting, and minimal visual markers. Each team raced a standardised drone equipped with the compact yet powerful Nvidia Jetson Orin NX computing module, a forward-facing camera, and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) for onboard perception and control. The use of rolling shutter cameras (a type of image capture in cameras that records the frame line by line instead of capturing the entire frame all at once) further heightened the difficulty, testing each team's ability to deliver fast, stable performance under demanding conditions. 'This marked the first time an autonomous drone race of this scale and complexity was staged on such a visually sparse track, underscoring the ambition and technical challenge of the event,' the organisers added. Christophe De Wagter, team principal of MavLab, said: 'Winning the AI Grand Challenge and the AI vs Human race is a huge milestone for our team. It validates years of research and experimentation in autonomous flight. To see our algorithms outperform in such a high-pressure environment and take home the largest share of the prize pool, is incredibly rewarding." For two days, 14 international teams qualified for the finals week, with the top four advancing to compete across multiple challenging race formats. Teams from the UAE, Netherlands, Austria, South Korea, the Czech Republic, Mexico, Turkey, China, Spain, Canada and the USA represented a mix of university labs, research institutes, and startup innovators, and battled it out for the $1million prize pool across four race formats. How AI won? The team of scientists and students from TU Delft won the competition by developing an efficient and robust AI system, capable of split-second, high-performance control. They noted: 'Whereas earlier breakthroughs, like AI defeating world champions at chess or Go, have taken place in virtual settings, this achievement happened in the real world. Two years ago, the Robotics and Perception Group at the University of Zürich was the first to beat human drone racing champions with an autonomous drone. However, that impressive achievement occurred in a flight lab environment, where conditions, hardware, and the track were still controlled by the researchers – a very different situation from this world championship, where the hardware and track were fully designed and managed by the competition organisers.' Team Mavlab created one of the core new elements of the drone's AI that did not require to send control commands to a traditional human controller, but directly to the motors. The deep neural networks were able to mimick the outcomes of traditional algorithms with less processing time. Real-life applications 'The highly efficient AI developed for robust perception and optimal control are not only vital to autonomous racing drones but will extend to other robots,' noted Wagter, explaining: 'Robot AI is limited by the required computational and energy resources. Autonomous drone racing is an ideal test case for developing and demonstrating highly-efficient, robust AI.' Speed is a very important element since drones have a very limited battery capacity. This means, the faster they fly, the more distance they can cover. 'Flying drones faster will be important for many economic and societal applications, ranging from delivering blood samples and defibrillators in time to finding people in natural disaster scenarios. Moreover, we can use the developed methods to strive not for optimal time but for other criteria such as optimal energy or safety. This will have an impact on many other applications, from vacuum robots to self-driving cars,' Wagter added. Meanwhile, the A2RL X DCL Drone STEM Program, designed in collaboration with Unicef and under the supervision of Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), has trained more than 100 Emirati students this year. 'At ATRC, we believe innovation must be proven in the real world, not just promised,' said Faisal Al Bannai, adviser to the UAE President for Strategic Research and Advanced Technology Affairs, and secretary-general of ATRC. He underscored 'A2RL is more than a race, it's a global testbed for high-performance autonomy and reflects the UAE's commitment to advancing AI, robotics, and next-gen mobility responsibly.'
Zawya
16-04-2025
- Zawya
Artificial intelligence triumphs in world's most sophisticated autonomous drone race in Abu Dhabi
AI Drone Beats Human Pilot in Most Sophisticated and Challenging Series set up by A2RL x DCL Autonomous Drone Championship, Marking a Breakthrough in Autonomous Flight Innovation Over 2500 Spectators Watch Best Autonomous Drone Racers Battle it Out for $1M Prize Pool Across Four Cutting-Edge Race Formats, Mavlab (TU Delft) Dominates the Championship with Three Wins in the AI Grand Challenge, AI Drag Race and AI Vs Human; TII Racing (Technology Innovation Institute, Abu Dhabi) Wins the AI Multi-Autonomous Drone Race Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: The Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL), part of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), in collaboration with the Drone Champions League (DCL), concluded the inaugural A2RL x DCL Autonomous Drone Championship in the Middle East, at ADNEC Marina Hall, Abu Dhabi, UAE. In a major breakthrough for autonomous flight and aerial robotics, Team MavLab's AI drone outpaced a world-leading human pilot to win the AI vs Human Challenge. The head-to-head duel was the most complex ever staged, featuring finalists from the DCL Falcon Cup—some of the top drone pilots in the world. Over two high-intensity days, 14 international teams qualified for the finals week, with the top four advancing to compete across multiple challenging race formats. Teams from the UAE, Netherlands, Austria, South Korea, the Czech Republic, Mexico, Turkey, China, Spain, Canada and the USA represented a mix of university labs, research institutes, and startup innovators. Each team raced a standardized drone equipped with the compact yet powerful NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX computing module, a forward-facing camera, and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) for onboard perception and control. With no human input, the drones relied entirely on real-time processing and AI-driven decision-making to reach speeds exceeding 150 km/h through a complex race environment. The course design pushed the boundaries of perception-based autonomy—featuring wide gate spacing, irregular lighting, and minimal visual markers. The use of rolling shutter cameras further heightened the difficulty, testing each team's ability to deliver fast, stable performance under demanding conditions. This marked the first time an autonomous drone race of this scale and complexity was staged on such a visually sparse track, underscoring the ambition and technical challenge of the event. Championship Highlights AI Grand Challenge Winner: MavLab (TU Delft) set the fastest time on the 170-meter course, completing two laps (22 gates) in just 17 seconds. AI vs Human Showdown Winner: MavLab's autonomous drone outpaced top human pilot—in a landmark AI vs Human showdown. Multi-Autonomous Drone Race Winner: TII Racing emerged victorious in the multi-drone format, in a high-speed test of AI coordination and collision avoidance. Autonomous Drag Race Winner: MavLab (TU Delft) claimed victory in the world's first AI-only drag race, demonstrating straight-line speed and control under high acceleration against the championship's top teams. 'At ATRC, we believe innovation must be proven in the real world, not just promised,' said H.E. Faisal Al Bannai, Adviser to the UAE President for Strategic Research and Advanced Technology Affairs, and Secretary-General of ATRC. 'A2RL is more than a race, it's a global testbed for high-performance autonomy and reflects the UAE's commitment to advancing AI, robotics, and next-gen mobility responsibly.' 'The future of flight doesn't live in a lab – it lives on the racetrack,' said Stephane Timpano, CEO of ASPIRE, the hosting entity of the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League. 'What we saw this weekend brings us closer to scaling autonomous systems in everyday life.' Markus Stampfer, Executive Chairman of DCL, added: 'We brought elite racing conditions to autonomous flight—and the AI rose to the challenge. This was a major leap for both sport and technology.' Ecstatic after clinching three top titles, Christophe De Wagter, team principal of MavLab, shared 'Winning the AI Grand Challenge and the AI vs Human race is a huge milestone for our team. It validates years of research and experimentation in autonomous flight. To see our algorithms outperform in such a high-pressure environment and take home the largest share of the prize pool, is incredibly rewarding." The A2RL X DCL Drone STEM Program, designed in collaboration with UNICEF and under the supervision of the ATRC, has trained over 100 Emirati students this year. Over 60% earned the prestigious Trusted Operator Program certification and 24 achieved perfect scores, showcasing the cutting-edge aviation skills being developed as part of the program. With the drone finale now in the books, all eyes turn to Season 2 of A2RL's autonomous car racing series, set for Q4 2025 at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.
