Surrounded by soldering irons, screwdrivers and state-of-the-art biomedical devices, senior Mihir Kotbagi watches eagerly as a simulation of the heart valve repair robot he has spent the past three weeks designing runs on his computer screen. So far, success eludes him: his attempts have seen his robot veer far off course. And for the first few seconds, it feels like this newest iteration might suffer the same fate. But, no — the robot threads the narrow path from the right atrium to the tricuspid valve, perfectly on course. Mihir exhales, a grin etched across his face, eyes wide with excitement. He is now one step closer to his ultimate goal: creating a robot capable of conducting minimally invasive heart surgery.

“That moment made me want to continue working in robotics,” Mihir said. “I saw a machine do something, potentially lifesaving, that humans couldn’t do. There are a lot of different robotics applications like moving objects in a warehouse or delivering packages, but seeing something that robots are uniquely good at was really exciting to me.” 

Mihir first became interested in robotics in fourth grade after watching the movie “Big Hero 6” and joined a team competing in the FIRST Lego League (FLL), an international robotics competition for elementary and middle school students. Even though his team did not achieve the successes he originally hoped for, he found that he enjoyed the freedom to explore that robotics provided. Mihir carried his desire for innovation and exploration into high school, where he joined Harker’s robotics team, FIRST Robotics Competition Team 1072, in ninth grade. 

“The biggest challenge for me when I first started in robotics was the trial and error,” Mihir said. “I didn’t have the maturity to really appreciate how much patience you need to slowly fine tune something and get it to work right. It took time to accept the process of building and rebuilding and to be patient with that process.”

Since then, Mihir has contributed to various areas of development for the team’s robots. He initially focused on the software side but, craving a more hands-on experience, later became involved in constructing the robot’s elevators, drivetrains and intakes. As the technical president of Team 1072, Mihir now coordinates and oversees the electrical, software and design teams.

“Whenever I look at other teams, I see new approaches and new solutions to problems that I hadn’t even thought about,” Mihir said. “Compared to them, the only thing separating us from them is that they spent more time on it innovating and exploring. I know that, if I commit, I can also make really cool things.”

During the summer before his senior year, Mihir extended his experiences in robotics outside of Harker to a mechanical engineering lab at Boston University. There, he applied his robotics skills to biomedical applications, researching the use of robots in heart valve repair surgeries. That experience reinforced his belief in learning through hands-on problem solving, the same process he once found to be the most frustrating part of robotics.

“In robotics, there’s a lot of room for you to mess around and see what happens,” Mihir said. “Especially with really experimental areas like robotic surgery, you don’t have to worry as much about being perfectly correct like you would in school. You can make progress by trying different things, and that really motivates me to keep doing it.”

Close friend senior Charlie Wang recalls how Mihir introduced him to other members of the robotics team when he joined in ninth grade. He credits Mihir with motivating him to continue pursuing robotics throughout high school and helping him find his place within the team.

“The effort he puts into robotics really inspires me,” Charlie said. “He has a genuine passion for what he’s doing, and he finds joy in solving problems with the robot and working with his team. There’s nothing more he would want than for our team to succeed, and that’s really inspiring. The work he does has always motivated me to keep doing robotics and keep improving.”

Fellow robotics team member and close friend senior Siddharth Sundar first met Mihir in fifth grade, and they bonded as a result of their shared interests in guitar and robotics. He applauds Mihir’s ability to maintain a healthy work-life balance and notes how he fosters meaningful connections with others, both within robotics and beyond.

“It’s admirable to see someone who’s so dedicated to what they do,” Siddharth said. “I see our robot today as a congregation of all the separate moments of him working on it. But when we aren’t working on robotics, we’re just friends, hanging out or playing games together. It’s really important he knows to leave time to enjoy himself and spend time with people.”

Mihir’s curiosity and love of exploring inspires his peers not only in robotics but also in his classes. Economics teacher Dean Lizardo, who taught Mihir AP Microeconomics, AP Macroeconomics and Econometrics, underscores his infectious curiosity and enthusiasm.

“One of Mihir’s strong suits is that he’s always trying to think about ways to make things meaningful and practical for other people and to not just get bogged down in theory,” Lizardo said. “He always brings that inquisitiveness to the classroom. By voicing his concerns about the way things are, he gets other students to start questioning and thinking too about how we can potentially make improvements.”

Mihir’s enthusiasm for his interests resonates with others, including Charlie, who has seen Mihir find meaning in bringing people together and pushing others to improve, learn and explore through his leadership.

“When I first met him, I thought he was a really introspective person,” Charlie said. “I still do, but I also got to know the other side of him. He’s hardworking, and as a leader, everyone enjoys talking with him. He brings everyone together, and he has a presence in a room that can’t be understated.”

For Mihir, robotics is about more than just building and designing — it is also about inspiring others to join his journey of exploration. Though he takes pride in his contributions to Team 1072’s successes, Mihir hopes his legacy on Harker Robotics will live on above all through the curiosity and enthusiasm he helped spark in younger students.

“My primary goal when I teach students is to instill the same love of robotics that I have, even more than helping them learn about robotics,” Mihir said. “I want to make them appreciate what makes robotics such a cool program, and I hope they remember me as a good leader and teacher who helped them discover a passion for robotics and for exploration in general.”