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Abdul Samet Erkek

Mechatronics Engineer

A daydreamer motivated mechatronics engineer who describes himself as a curious developer, inventive designer, and maker specialized in robotics, mechatronic system design and software development. Passionate about artificial intelligence and mechatronics.

  • English
    Hello, I am Abdul Samet. Briefly, Samet, or even shorter, sam.

    I was born as a mechatronics engineer in April 1995 at a hospital two streets behind our house. Then, not much noteworthy happened until 2001, and then I started elementary school.
    I attended primary school until 2009 and Dede Korkut Anatolian High School until 2013.
    In 2013, I started the mechatronics engineering department at Yıldız Technical University.

    The year I entered the university, I made my first FDM 3D printer for the projects I would do in the future. Then, 3D printers became very popular in the department, and I assembled printers for six friends, including one of my professors 😊

    Contrary to today's consumer-focused mindset, I was fascinated by this production-oriented machine. Therefore, I started a project to add a 3-axis CNC to my hobby workshop, which I started assembling at home.

    Of course, I didn’t just do individual projects. A few friends and I, curious like me, formed a team, IQRA. We aimed to participate in space and aviation competitions with this team and started working immediately. In our first year, we won first place in the TÜRKSAT model satellite competition with one of the groups participating in different competitions. This success motivated us to participate in international competitions, and we decided to participate in the CanSat competition organized under the sponsorship of NASA in Texas, America. We worked hard, really hard. During this period of my life, I realized how long nights could actually be.
    Eventually, we went to the competition, and despite all the setbacks we experienced before the competition, we finished as the world's 5th in reporting and 8th in all tasks. While presenting our PFR report to the jury consisting of NASA engineers, we were proud to be the only team that managed to land in one piece.



    In 2017, we didn't just participate in the CanSat competition. At the same time, we were working on an autonomous drone project, participated in courses organized by TÜBİTAK about rotary-wing unmanned aerial vehicles, and competed in the organized competition. We also developed a suitable prototype for CanSat 2018.

    I knew the importance of developing myself technically as much as developing myself intellectually. Therefore, until September 2017, I left my country Turkey, where I had never crossed the borders, and went to Hochschule Aalen to continue my education there. I studied in Germany for 6 months under the Erasmus+ Exchange program. During my time in Germany, I traveled to 6 different countries and more than 15 cities. Encountering different cultures, languages, and geography expanded my vision more than I expected. I met people from many countries, learned about lives and cultures. On the other hand, I had the opportunity to work on Shape Memory Alloy Actuators at the Advanced Actuators and Sensors laboratory of Prof. Dr. Arif Kazi, whom I met at the university. I worked as a Research Assistant Engineer in the lab and had the chance to experience engineering approaches in a different country up close.

    While doing all these, we also took and completed freelance jobs with another team whose minds matched ours. In addition, we developed some of our ideas as startup projects, operated them, and failed. But these are another blog topic and should be told there 😊

    And I returned to Turkey. Due to the light course schedule, I first completed my internships and then did a Quadruped Robot as my graduation project. Tübitak 2209-B sponsored part of the project under the project support scope, and I successfully completed my project.
    On the other hand, I received a job offer from a company associated with the company where I did my internship and started working there. Sintertek, a small but dynamic company, was able to develop advanced technology products in a short time. Thus, I had the opportunity to take key roles in many projects in the company. Although I worked as a mechatronics engineer in the company, I gained experience and knowledge about much more. My responsibilities included designing the mechatronic system of the company's machines and dealing with their production and assembly. I personally carried out the design, implementation, and testing of all electronic systems. I prepared the machine interface, developed embedded software for electronics, and also did mechanical design. In short, I actively worked in all three main pillars of mechatronics.

    During my time in the company, I graduated from school. Then, after completing the projects I was working on in the company, I decided to go to a different country to apply for a master's degree and develop myself intellectually again. There were 2 countries I was curious about in terms of their approach to engineering. One was Germany, where I had lived for 6 months, and the other was Japan. My route was clear, and I set off.
    Japan was a turning point in my life. I saw a different approach in everything I looked at than what I had seen before. Even a simple cake mold was enough to surprise me. I started to relearn and question many things we accept and pass by without attention in everyday life. This perfect place, which took me out of my comfort zone and got me moving, enabled me to have a different mindset, increasing my productivity and efficiency like never before. From that point on, I also decided where I wanted to live.

    During my time there, I visited many cities, museums, and fairs. I had the opportunity to develop myself more in the field of software. I improved myself in data structures and artificial intelligence. On the other hand, I started working at Baykar Defense, the country's most important defense industry company, in the field of Artificial Intelligence, which I started with curiosity. I started working as a Software and Prototype Development Engineer at Baykar in July 2021. I quickly took on major responsibilities at Baykar and participated in different projects. I cannot give information about these due to confidentiality reasons.

    But Japan was always on my mind, and as soon as I got the chance, I came to Japan. Here, I continue to work on humanoid robot technologies at a company called Meltin MMI that does very exciting work.

    For now, this article ends here, but in fact, there are many details in the story. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you want to talk or communicate about any topic 🙂

    Thank you very much for taking the time to read this.
  • 日本語

    こんにちは、アブドゥル・サメットと申します。簡単にサメット、またはより短くサムと呼んでください。

    私は1995年4月に、家の裏の通りにある病院でメカトロニクスエンジニアとして生まれました。その後、2001年まで特筆すべきことはありませんでしたが、その後、小学校に入学しました。

    2009年まで小学校に通い、2013年までデデ・コルクト・アナトリア高校に通いました。
    2013年には、イスタンブール工科大学でメカトロニクス工学の学部に入学しました。

    大学に入学した年に、将来のプロジェクトのために最初のFDM 3Dプリンターを作りました。その後、その学部で3Dプリンターが非常に人気を博し、私の指導教授を含む6人の友人にプリンターを提供しました 😊
    現代の消費志向に対照的に、このような製造に焦点を当てる機械に魅了されました。そのため、自宅で始めた趣味の工房に、3軸CNCを追加するプロジェクトを立ち上げました。

    個人のプロジェクトだけでなく、私と同じように興味津々な友人と共に、IQRAというチームを結成し、宇宙と航空競技に参加することを目指しました。そして、すぐに活動を開始しました。最初の年に、異なる競技に参加している他のグループと共に、TÜRKSATモデル衛星競技大会で優勝しました。この成功は、国際的な競技会に参加する意欲を刺激し、NASAがスポンサードするテキサス州のCanSat競技会に参加する決定を下しました。私たちは一生懸命働きました、本当に一生懸命働きました。この時期の夜が実際にどれほど長いかを理解しました。
    最終的に競技会に参加し、競技会前に経験したすべてのトラブルにもかかわらず、レポートで世界第5位、すべてのタスクで世界第8位という結果を収めました。NASAのエンジニアからなる審査員団にPFRレポートを提出する際、唯一のチームとして地面に着陸に成功した誇りを感じました。

    2017年には、CanSat競技大会に参加しただけでなく、同時に自律飛行ドローンプロジェクトにも取り組んでおり、TÜBİTAKが主催する回転翼無人航空機に関するトレーニングに参加し、競技会に参加しました。また、CanSat 2018のための適切なプロトタイプを開発しました。
    技術的に成長する重要性だけでなく、知識的にも成長することの重要性を理解していました。そのため、2017年9月まで一度も国外に出たことのない私は、トルコからHochschule Aalenに留学しました。Erasmus+ Exchangeプログラムの一環として、ドイツで6ヶ月間学んできました。滞在中、6つの異なる国と15以上の都市を訪れました。異なる文化、言語、地理に出会うことで、私の視野が予想以上に広がりました。さまざまな国からの人々と出会い、生活と文化を学びました。また、大学で出会ったアリフ・カズィ博士と共に、Advanced Actuators and SensorsラボでShape Memory Alloy Actuatorに関する研究を行う機会も得ました。ラボでリサーチアシスタントエンジニアとして働き、異なる国のエンジニアリングアプローチを近くで体験する機会を持ちました。

    これらすべてを行いながら、別のチームともフリーランスの仕事を受注しました。また、いくつかのアイデアをスタートアッププロジェクトとして開発し、取り組みました。しかし、これらは別のブログ記事で語るべきです 😊

    そして、トルコに帰国しました。授業のスケジュールが軽いため、まずはインターンシップを完了し、四足歩行ロボットを卒業プロジェクトとして制作しました。 Tübitak 2209-Bプロジェクトサポートプログラムの一部として、プロジェクトの一部にスポンサーがつき、プロジェクトを成功裏に完了しました。
    また、インターンシップを行った企業と関連のある会社からの仕事の提案を受け、そこで働き始めました。Sintertekというこの会社は、小さながらもダイナミックな構造を持ち、短期間で先端技術製品を開発できるスタートアップでした。これにより、私は会社の機械のメカトロニクシステムの設計だけでなく、製造と組み立てにも直接関与しました。機械だけでなく、すべての電子システムの設計、実装、およびテストも自分で行いました。マシンインターフェイスを作成したり、電子の組み込みソフトウェアを作成したり、機械設計を行ったりしました。要するに、私はメカトロニクスの3つの主要な要素で積極的に活動しました。

    会社で働いている間に、大学を卒業しました。その後、プロジェクトを完了し、高度なプロジェクトで異なる役割を果たしました。これらについては機密のため詳細を述べることはできません。

    しかし、私の頭の中にはいつも日本があり、最初の機会を見つけて日本に行きました。日本は私の人生における転機でした。私が見るすべてに、以前よりも異なるアプローチを見ていました。簡単なケーキの容器でも私を驚かせるのに十分でした。日常生活で気にもせず受け入れていた多くのことを再び学び、疑問を抱き始めました。これが私を快適な領域から引き離し、行動に移す素晴らしい場所であり、別の思考構造を持つことを可能にし、生産性と効率をかつてないほど高めています。この時点から、どこに住みたいかが決まりました。
    滞在中、多くの都市、博物館、見本市に行きました。ソフトウェア分野で自分自身をさらに発展させる機会を見つけました。データ構造と人工知能の分野で自己啓発しました。また、興味を持っていた人工知能の分野で、国内有数の防衛産業企業であるBaykar Savunmaで働き始めました。2021年7月から、BaykarでSoftware and Prototype Development Engineerとして働いています。Baykarで短期間に多くの責任を負い、さまざまなプロジェクトに関与しました。これについては機密のため詳細を述べることはできません。

    しかし、いつも頭の中に日本があったため、最初の機会を見つけて日本に戻りました。ここで、人間のロボット技術に取り組むMeltin MMIという企業で働き続けています。

    現時点ではこの記事がここで終わりますが、実際には多くの詳細が含まれています。どんなトピックについてでもお気軽に連絡を取り、お話しできれば幸いです 😊

    お読みいただき、ありがとうございます。

  • Türkçe

    Merhaba, Ben Abdul Samet. Kısaca Samet, ya da daha da kısası sam.

    Nisan 1995’te evimizin iki arka sokağındaki hastanede bir mekatronik mühendisi olarak doğmuşum. Sonra 2001’e kadar çok kayda değer bir şey olmamış, sonra da ilkokula başlamışım.

    2009'a kadar ilkokula, 2013'e kadar da Dede Korkut Anadolu Lisesine gittim.

    2013'te Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesinde mekatronik mühendisliği bölümüne başladım.

    Üniversiteye girdiğim sene ileride yapacağım projelerim için ilk FDM 3D printerımı yaptım. Sonrasında bölümde 3D printerlar çok popular hale geldi ve birisi hocam olmak üzere 6 arkadaşıma printer toplamıştım 😊

    Günümüzdeki tüketim odaklılığın tersine, üretime odaklı bu makineye hayran kalmıştım. Bu sebeple evimde toplamaya başladığım hobi atölyeme bir de 3 eksen CNC eklemek için bir proje yaptım.
    ...
    Ve Türkiye’ye döndüm. Ders programımın hafif olması sebebiyle önce stajlarımı tamamlayıp bir yandan da bitirme projem olarak Quadruped Robot yaptım. Tübitak 2209-B proje destekleme kapsamında projenin bir kısmına sponsor oldu ve projemi başarılı bir şekilde tamamladım.

    Öte yandan stajımı yaptığım firma ile bağlantılı olan bir firmadan iş teklifi aldım ve orada çalışmaya başladım. Sintertek isimli bu firma küçük ama dinamik yapısı sayesinde kısa zamanda ileri teknoloji ürünleri geliştirebilen bir startuptı. Bu sayede firmada birçok projede kilit görevlerde bulunma fırsatım oldu. Firmada mekatronik mühendisi olarak görev almama rağmen, bundan çok daha fazlası hakkında deneyim ve bilgi edindim. Sorumluluklarım arasında firmanın makinelerinin mekatronik sistem tasarımını yapmanın yanı sıra, üretimiyle ve montajıyla da bizzat ben ilgilendim. Sadece mekanik değil, tüm elektronik sistemlerin tasarlanmasını, implementasyonunu ve testlerini de bizzat gerçekleştirdim. Makine ara yüzünü hazırladığım da, elektroniklerin gömülü yazılımlarını hazırladığım da, mekanik tasarım yaptığım da oldu. Kısacası mekatroniğin üç ana ayağında da aktif olarak çalıştım.

    Firmada çalıştığım süre içerisinde okulumdan mezun oldum. Daha sonra da firmada üzerinde çalıştığım projelerimizi tamamladıktan sonra hem yüksek lisans başvurularımı yapmak hem de tekrar entelektüel olarak kendimi geliştirmek için farklı bir ülkeye gitme kararı aldım. Mühendisliğe bakış açılarını merak ettiğim 2 ülke vardı. Birisi Almanya, ki orada 6 ay yaşamıştım, ikincisi de Japonya idi. Rotam belliydi, ben de yola çıktım.

    Japonya hayatımdaki dönüm noktası oldu. Baktığım her şeyde daha önce gördüğümden daha farklı bir yaklaşım görüyordum. Basit kek kabı bile beni şaşırtmaya yetiyordu. Gündelik hayatta hiç dikkat etmeden kabul edip geçtiğimiz birçok şeyi tekrar öğrenmeye, sorgulamaya başlamıştım. Bu beni konfor alanımdan çıkarıp harekete geçiren mükemmel yer, başka bir zihin yapısına sahip olmamı sağlıyor, üretkenliğimi ve verimliliğimi hiç olmadığı kadar arttırıyordu. Bu noktadan sonra nerede yaşamak istediğime de karar vermiş oldum.

    Orada bulunduğum süre boyunca birçok şehre, müzelere ve fuarlara gittim. Kendimi yazılım alanında daha çok geliştirmeye fırsat buldum. Data structures ve artificial intelligence konularında kendimi geliştirdim. Öte yandan merakla başladığım alan olan Artificial Intelligence alanında ülkenin en önemli savunma sanayi firması olan Baykar Savunma’da işe başladım. Temmuz 2021’den Yazılım ve Prototip Geliştirme Mühendisi olarak Baykar’da çalışmaya başladım. Baykar’da kısa zamanda büyük sorumluluklar alarak farklı projelerde bulundum. Bunlar hakkında gizlilik sebebiyle bir bilgi veremeyeceğim.

    Ama aklımın bir tarafında her zaman Japonya vardı ve ilk fırsatımı bulduğumda Japonyaya geldim. Burada çok heyecanlı işler yapan Meltin MMI isimli firmada insansı robot teknolojileri üzerine çalışmaya devam ediyorum.

    Şimdilik bu yazı burada sonlanıyor ama aslında hikayede bir çok detay var. Herhangi bir konuda iletişime geçmek, konuşmak isterseniz lütfen çekinmeyin 🙂

    Zaman ayırıp okuduğunuz için çok teşekkür ederim.