2404 김병조

[2404 김병조]

2404 김병조 영어2 1과 글쓰기 수행평가

This idea became much clearer to me after I read about Vijay Kumar, the dean of engineering at the University of Pennsylvania and one of the world's leading researchers in autonomous drones and robotics. Before I read his story, I had always thought that being a good engineer simply meant building something new and impressive. However, after learning about his life's work, I realized that true innovation is not about the machine itself, but about the people the machine is meant to serve. His story showed me exactly the kind of engineer I hope to become in the future.

Vijay Kumar himself had studied robots and drones since 1983, long before most people even imagined that machines could fly on their own. At that time, robotics was still a very new field, and few people believed that a small flying machine could ever make decisions by itself. By the time autonomous flight became a widely discussed topic around the world, cooperative algorithms that allow many drones to fly and work together had already been developed by his research team. These achievements were not created overnight; they had been built up over decades of patient research into control, communication, and environmental perception. I found this part of his story especially meaningful, because it reminded me that the technologies I admire today, such as drone swarm control and UAM systems, did not appear suddenly. They were the result of someone's long and quiet dedication, repeated failure, and continued effort over many years.

According to what I read, autonomous drones had been used to survey orchards and check the condition of crops even before large-scale drone agriculture became common around the world. Farmers who once had to walk through entire fields by hand could instead rely on drones flying overhead, collecting data that helped them grow healthier crops with less wasted effort. In dangerous places, such as nuclear accident sites or areas filled with harmful chemicals, the drones themselves are sent in first, so that human lives do not have to be put at risk. I think this is the most important part of his research. This shows that the drones were not designed simply to replace people or to prove that technology is powerful; they were designed to protect people while still gathering the information that they need. It is a perfect example of what I believe good engineering should look like — technology standing between danger and human life.

When I read this, I felt that Kumar had not only built machines, but had also built a philosophy: that innovation is supposed to serve people first, before it serves ambition or profit. It was Kumar himself who reminded me that technology without purpose is empty, no matter how advanced it may look. The technology itself cannot decide whether to help or harm people — that choice always belongs to the humans who build and guide it. This made me think seriously about my own goals. I want to study artificial intelligence and drone control not simply because the technology is exciting, but because I want to design autonomous flight systems that can genuinely help people — whether that means responding faster in disasters, supporting farmers, or making urban air mobility safer for ordinary citizens.

Don't forget to put people before machines — that is the lesson I told myself I would carry with me as I continue studying AI, computer vision, and autonomous flight systems for my future career as an AI-integrated aviation specialist. I know that this path will not be easy. Just as Kumar spent decades building the foundations of drone cooperation before the world even noticed, I may have to spend years studying physics, mathematics, and programming before I can design anything that truly matters. But I no longer see that as a discouraging thought. Instead, I see it as proof that meaningful technology takes time, patience, and purpose to build. I am eager for the chance to follow a path like his — one where years of quiet effort eventually turn into technology that protects and serves other people.

We can contribute to society by designing autonomous drones and UAM systems that protect people in dangerous situations and support industries such as agriculture, just as Vijay Kumar has done. I hope that, like him, I will one day be remembered not simply as an engineer, but as someone who used technology to serve others.