Home

Golem Group

I am a member of the Golem Group, LLC. The Golem Group competed for the first DARPA Grand Challenge in 2004. It was a motley group of enthusiasts who managed to build an autonomous vehicle while working out of their garage and did exceptionally well. I was impressed by the simplicity and eccentricity of the team and got introduced to the members via a common friend - Robb Walters. One thing led to other and I was a part of the Golem Group/UCLA team for DARPA Grand Challenge 2005. We modified a Dodge Ram 2500 for autonomous operation. I was mostly involved with sensor calibrations and state estimation part of the project. The whole experience was very enthralling and rewarding. We finished 14th in the final race.

The Golem Group, LLC was one of the 11 Track A teams for the DARPA Urban Challenge 2007. We modified a Toyota Prius for autonomous operation in an urban environment. We were amongst the 35 teams to qualify for the Semi finals (National Qualification Event), but were unable to qualify for the final race. I was involved with sensor calibration and state estimation again. I also tried to implement a localized environment (map) building algorithm, albeit unsuccessfully.

Karate

My journey in karate started in September 2003. I had just joined Caltech and was looking to start a strict exercise regimen to keep healthy and fit. The history and tradition of the Caltech Karate Club as was mentioned on its website, seemed pretty enticing. I decided to check it out. After my first class I was completely in awe of the instructors (Randy McClure and Pam Logan), and the other members (most of them seemed pretty scary at that time). However, I had to discontinue after a couple of classes, as I had not completely recovered from a foot surgery and also the course load during the first year at Caltech was a little demanding.

After my first three terms, I was back at Karate from June 2004 - and there was no looking back. It has been an enjoyable experience progressing from a white belt, to a brown belt and now a black belt karateka. An ironic realization though is the more I learn, the more I realize "how much more there is to learn." All this while I have cherished the new friends I made at the Caltech Karate Club, SKA and my three instructors - Randy, Pam and Ian, who have invested countless hours into our practices.

An article about my first special training in February 2005.

An article about my first brown belt practice in April 2006.

Caltech Flying Club

I plan to join AACIT and learn flying. More details as my plans materialize ...