We've asked some of ITMO University's experts in the fields of robotics and control systems about their work, interests, and their worst autocorrect mishaps.
Daniil Monich, engineer, School of Computer Technologies and Control
What's the first app you check in the morning? – Instagram.
Favorite spot in St. Petersburg? – Petrogradsky Island.
Favorite scientific theory or formula? – Newton’s Second Law.
Best movie of all time? – Snatch.
When did you last stay late at work, and why? – I stay late at the office all the time because I get so involved in work that I miss the passage of time.
Oleg Borisov, researcher, Faculty of Control Systems and Robotics
What's the first app you check in the morning? – I check my messages, then go for a run using Nike Run Club.
Which book should everyone read? – “War and Peace”. Some might be put off by its size, but it’s worth it. It’s a powerful read, but an easy one, actually.
Favorite scientific theory or formula? – Adaptive robust control of non-linear systems, of course.
What is your most essential travel tip? – Don’t take what might come in handy, take that which you can’t be without.
Worst autocorrect mishap? – I usually turn it off, so it’s not a problem for me. There was a time, however, when I bought a present for my then-future wife, which I promptly texted her about in a rather everyday manner: “Got the ring”. She didn’t believe me when I clarified it was a gymnastic ring.
Vladislav Gromov, assistant, Faculty of Control Systems and Robotics
Favorite spot in St. Petersburg? – Some irregular marketplaces are interesting to me, Loft Project ETAGI, for example. I don’t usually buy anything there, but I can find some interesting ideas or designs.
What’s a song you can listen to forever? – “Show Must Go On” by Queen is usually is a strong source of motivation in any situation and any case. And it never gets old.
Favorite scientific theory or formula? – The Euler-Lagrange equation, generally, is a pretty compact equation that describes most models of mechanical systems. But sometimes it becomes a huge monster in order to describe some complicated examples. And it is pretty useful because it describes the action of the system, which is necessary for control.
Worst autocorrect mishap? – At one event, they gave me a name tag with my name written as “Vladi love” instead of “Vladislav” due to an autocorrect issue. Not the worst thing in the world, but it was funny.
Best movie of all time? –“Terminator 2”. Just as a reference for my job.
Alexey Vedyakov, senior researcher, Faculty of Control Systems and Robotics
What's the first app you check in the morning? – The email app Spark.
Favorite spot in St. Petersburg? – The coast of the Gulf of Finland.
Which book should everyone read? – “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, by Stephen Covey.
Favorite scientific theory or formula? – The existence of higher dimensions.
Your most essential travel tip? – Relax and look around.
Sergei Shavetov, associate professor, vice-dean of Faculty of Control Systems and Robotics
Favorite spot in St. Petersburg? – The central area as a whole: the Admiralty, the Kazan and St. Isaac’s cathedrals. I’ve walked every bit of it by foot.
What’s a song you can listen to forever? – Peter Lee Johnson’s instrumentals, including covers of hit songs. I’ve been listening to him constantly since 2012.
Which book should everyone read? – Lee Iacocca’s autobiography. It’s a great book that shows that effective managers can’t be “incubated”.
Favorite scientific theory or formula? – As strange as it might be, but in everyday life I’ve found plenty of practical applications for the law of cosines, which helps find the right angle or length of anything without any complex calculations, using just what you have at hand.
Best movie of all time? – One of the all-time bests is “Some Like It Hot” (1959). A flamboyant, atmospheric, and joyful film.
Mikhail Kakanov, engineer, School of Computer Technologies and Control
What’s a song you can listen to forever? – “Tessellate” by Alt-J. It’s a lovely, harmonious piece in spite of the grim lyrics.
Which book should everyone read? – Shane Jones’ “Light Boxes”. Because no one is allowed to fly in February.
Favorite scientific theory or formula? – Lyapunov functions. Such vast freedom of choice.
Best movie of all time? – Cries and Whispers
When did you last stay late at work, and why? – Last week, and because I thought I was close to my goal.
Stanislav Tomashevich, assistant, Faculty of Control Systems and Robotics
Favorite spot in St. Petersburg? – The entirety of Obvodny Canal, because of how very different its surroundings are: from near-abandoned factories to modern business centers.
What’s a song you can listen to forever? – “Origin (Concealing Fate, Pt. 6)”, by TesseracT. Mathematecally precise rhythmics and an enchanting melody.
Which book should everyone read? – Victor Hugo’s “Les Miserables”; everyone reads it differently. A timeless, deep and multi-faceted book.
Favorite scientific theory or formula? – Pythagoras' theorem because it’s quite simple, yet brilliant, and served as the basis for many later achievements.
Worst autocorrect mishap? – The worst autocorrect mishap is when you’ve written something wrong intentionally, and it gets corrected to the right spelling.
Ivan Borisov, PhD student and engineer, Biomechatronics and Energy-Efficient Robotics Lab
What's the first app you check in the morning? – Telegram. There is no difference between night and day for my colleagues. Each morning I receive dozens of messages. Sometimes it looks like work in three shifts.
Favorite spot in St. Petersburg? – Home.
Which book should everyone read? – "An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth: What Going to Space Taught Me About Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything" by Chris Hadfield. This book will teach you how to become "+1" or at least "0", but not "-1".
Favorite scientific theory or formula? – I want to mention not a theory or formula, but a photo of planet Earth, taken by the Voyager 1 space probe from a record distance of about 6 billion kilometers. The name of the photo is "Pale Blue Dot". If you have some "great troubles" at work or in your personal life, look at this picture. From this distance, all human problems look like a joke.
Best movie of all time? – "Back to the Future". All three movies. I would love to go back in time to finish all my tasks, which I had never done because of lack of time.
