Edition 46

INTERV
DTU Times interviewed Prof. Mohan M. Trivedi,
Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of
California, San Diego, who was the Guest of Honour at
the 1 st International Conference on Signal Processing,
VLSI and Communication Engineering organised at DTU.
How have you seen the field of Computer
Vision and Robotics evolve over the years?
When you’re a part of the journey, you don’t
notice much. But the key change that has
taken place is that the resources available have
increased multifold. When I was a graduate
student doing object detection, we used to look
at wildlife through aerial sensors and it would
take us days to get results. But today when
students perform such analyses, vast results are
obtained in a jiffy. One of the most remarkable
achievements was the incorporation of
Machine Learning. Prior to that, we used
predefined features, which needed specific
knowledge of the data. Today, we have data
for every feature available for learning.
Do you think a motivating factor is needed for
students to pursue research?
Most successful students I’ve seen have a high
amount of self-motivation. Whenever I need to
bring in new students, I tell them to interact with
other students of the group since peer-to-peer
interaction is extremely crucial. I make it
certain that they are respectful of others’ ideas and
thereby help out one another. When they do so,
they enjoy working and collaborating.
What is the biggest challenge that the
Robotics industry faces even today?
Safety, Robustness, Generalisation and Human
Centeredness. I believe that making a one-of-akind
robot is no big deal, but making it
robust and able to work in a variety of
situations as well as interact with humans is very
important, which hasn’t yet been achieved. There
are a lot of open issues still left unresolved. Today, a
robot that works in an artificial environment is
not needed; what’s required is one which works
in real-life situations with continuous
interaction, without humans feeling threatened or
stressed.
DTU Times interviewed Dr. S.C. Dutta Roy,
former Professor, Indian Institute of Technology
Delhi, who was the Guest of Honour at the 1st
International Conference on Signal Processing, VLSI
and Communication Engineering organised at DTU.
What, according to you, is the best way of
learning, a teacher teaching physically, a
lecture series or reading about it from a book?
You must combine all of these. But the most
important thing is not to accept any notes from
anyone. Unless you are satisfied, don’t give
up! If a teacher says something which is not
appealing to you then ask why. If the teacher
is clueless then don’t stop, instead go on asking
until the teacher is forced to explain. The
same is the case with your parents, or for that
matter anyone else. Unless you are satisfied,
DTU Times • February - April 2019 • 24
never stop trying. Always listen to and go by your
conscience. Your conscience can never be wrong!
How do you think that the field of Electronics
and Communication Engineering has changed
over the years?
Well, firstly it was a composite branch. All branches
grew larger in size and bifurcated into parts such
as Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Engineering. But Electronics and Communication
Engineering is still a composite discipline. It has its
wings in various fields.
What are your views on the various rules that
regulate research at educational institutions?
Any level of freedom must be coupled with
self imposed discipline. And therefore,
autonomy doesn’t mean that you can do
anything. You must contemplate why it is given to
you and you must work within the limited frame.
Similarly, in life, you are a free person but you
must be bound by some self-imposed disciplines.