Future belongs to Robotics

RoboGenX Grand Finale demonstrated amply that robots will be an integral part of tomorrow and that students are all set to give a new twist to Robotic technology with their innovation The future belongs to Robotics. Robots will make inroads into every sphere of life and will replace human beings in every conceivable area, declared Ponnala Lakshmaiah, State Information Technology and Communications Minister at the RoboGenX Grand Finale held in Hyderabad on Sunday.

Speaking at the prestigious Robotics event which witnessed over 40 exhibits from 200 students across the State, he said he was floored by the innovation and creativity displayed by the little scientists. The exhibits by students at the HMTV-The Hans India event impressed the Minister so much that he promised commitment to fund 'incubation centres' in schools and colleges in the state which encouraged students to come with robotic ideas. "Currently, only two universities in the State have Robotics in post graduation level. After seeing these exhibits, I am convinced that our students need more professional courses in Robotics. More colleges should have the subject," he opined. He said the students who had come up with robots ranging from simple 'sweeping' ones to those that can be used to help the Indian Army are all winners in their own way as each of them had designed award-winning robots. Lakshmaiah went around each exhibit patiently, listened to the students, asked for a demo and asked questions about their robots. "I wish students here will be able to invent robots that can help us in Space, Medicine, Defence etc. Robots can replace humans in places where humans should not and cannot go." K Ramachandra Murthy, CEO and Managing Director of Hyderabad Media House Limited, said the spirited and vibrant students with their wonderful robots has convinced him that India, indeed, has a bright future. "While politics and the crime in the country depress me and make me apprehensive about the future, these children make me feel secure about tomorrow. I am sure that some of the students who explained their concepts to me will go on to win the Nobel Prize for Science for India. Every exhibit has been designed with confidence and commitment. We will organise more such shows in the future," he said. Dr Narender Reddy from Nucleonix India who judged the contestants said the exhibits were state-of-the art, hardly amateurish. "Every student has displayed amazing intelligent and every team has come up with impressive robots," he said. He urged the State government to sponsor more such robotic events and sponsor awards to kindle interest on robots in students. Venkatesham Gupta, Managing editor of Media Centre, also a judge at the event, said the exhibits of school students was no less than the one that engineering students often design. "I hope there is a logical conclusion to such prize winning exhibits by companies and government putting them to a good use". K Prabhakar Rao, General Manager (Circulation), The Hans India, said such events help youth connect with Science and in turn helps media connect with the youth. P Suryanarayana Reddy of Riddhi Informatics (who gave technical assistance to the event) said study of Robots helps students get a grip on Mathematics and Physics and hence should be encouraged in schools and colleges as a subject. The event ended with prize distribution. The first prize went to All-Terrain Surveillance Bot made by students of Bhavan's Sriramakrishna Vidyalaya, Sainikpuri, Hyderabad; BP DAV School won the second prize for their live tracking robot; Visakha Valley School's Excelsior won the third prize. All participants received participation certificates.

Little Scientists mix creativity with technology Each of the 40 exhibits at the RoboGenX Grand Finale on Sunday was worth a visit and was brimming with innovation Yuvraj Akula It was jaw dropping experience for visitors of the grand finale of ROBOGEN X- 2013 to see young students display state-of-the-art robots on Sunday. Organised by THE HANS INDIA-HMTV at Nampally Exhibition grounds, Hyderabad, the event witnessed the participation of 200 enthusiastic students from 40 schools across Andhra Pradesh. The little scientists used syringes, cardboards, transistors, sensors and hinges to connect extensions and build robots that could move, stop and buzz to enthrall everyone. Students from different backgrounds demonstrated how robots could be used in various fields in today's context. "The robot we made works on hydraulics. As resources like petrol, diesel and electricity are fast getting depleted; we took up hydraulics as it works on the pressure of the water. We just spent Rs 300 on towards syringes; all the other parts were taken from waste materials," said Sri Charan, brain child of the project from Little Scholar School, Sananth Nagar. Students of Atomic Central School, ECIL, came up with an innovative technique for cleaning the floor. "We made Clean X, a cleaning device which is operated with nine batteries. Seven are fitted to the body of the machine while remaining two are on the remote. The machine is meant for cleaning the floor. It can clean everything in its vicinity. Apart from cleaning, the magnet placed on the body attracts metal items present on the floor," said Jagadeep Sai, team member of the project. Cost was not a deterrent to students participating in the event. Students of Nagarjuna Olympiad School, Vishakapatnam, came up with a new technique in printing. The logo milestone, a robot which runs with lab view software, can be used to print pages. "With the support of our Physics teacher, we made this robot with an investment of Rs 15,000." RoboGenX exhibition witnessed new innovations from the young scientists. Obstacle sensing wireless robot is one such by the students of DAV public school, Sujatha nagar. "With the sensor fitted on it, it recognises the objects that come in its path. This robot can be deployed in Defence and Army," said, Kiran, a team member. Most of the robots run with electricity or with batteries. Students of Geetanjali Devshala, Secunderabad, have come up with new robot that can operate with solar power. "We spent Rs 7,560 to build this robot which can move in all directions and it can pick, drop any object, can be used in all conditions," said Charan. The mobile robotic arm was another interesting exhibit. With use of the sensors, it can detect living organisms on earth. This all-terrain robot with little modifications can lift objects of 5 kg weight. "We designed it in three days with just investment of Rs 2,500," said Aditya, team member of the project. The other team from the same school came with new idea of a fire extinguisher. The robot has been made using small sensors, transistors, and household things. With the help of the sensors, it detects the fire and flushes water on it." Within one week, we could make this robot. Further this can be modified can be used has the fire extinguisher," said Harsha, team member of the project. Students of Bhavan's Sri Ramakrishna Vidyalaya, Sainikpuri, attracted visitors with their unique Mine Detecting Robot. "With the help of the sensors, this robot can detect metal and mines. We just spent Rs 150 to build this multi terrain vehicle," said Nipun Mehra. Using hand gestures, this robot can move in certain directions. This was demonstrated by the students of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's, Jubilee Hills, "The remote which is fitted with mercury balls controls the robot. With few modifications, this robot can be made into an all-terrain vehicle," Tarun, team member of the project.

It was great experience for parents who have accompanied their children to participate in the competition. "This competition is first of it's in our state. Competitions like this will give a platform for students to exhibit their talents in the field of robotics," said Satyanarayana, parent who accompanied his ward to the competition. Futuristic, practical ideas bag awards A robot that can double up as a fire extinguisher, one that can help A transport things in a hospital and one that can guide the visually impaired are among the prize winners at the RoboGenX finale It was a clash of the robots, literally, at the RoboGenX Grand Finale in Hyderabad on Sunday. Over 200 students from 40 schools competed for the prizes and the first prize went to All-Terrain Surveillance Bot made by students of Bhavan's Sriramakrishna Vidyalaya, Sainikpuri, Hyderabad. Code named ATSB 433, the robot was made by student team comprising YVR Satyam, Soumil Sahu, Pranav Bamidipati, Sai Sanjeev, Kshitij Sircar and Mohnishwaran. "It is all-terrain robot with wireless camera. When the camera is connected to a battery, it transmits signals with a frequency of 2.4 gigahertz. The signals are received by receiver which is connected to a laptop, PC or TV. One can see the action happening front of the camera on the screen. We have used four motors each with 10 rpm. We used it for high torque as it should be able to withstand the robot also has a fire and an obstacle sensor. The fire sensor comes in contact in thermistor and gives a signal to the machine and it starts beeping. The obstacle sensor has an infra red emitter. We can set the range to a particular distance and if any obstacle is spotted the infrared rays bounces back. The receiver receives this signal and it starts buzzing. By connecting it to a microcontroller to a water sprinkler, we can use the robot to extinguish the fire," the .team explained. The robot can be used in mines, archaeological sites etc where inhuman conditions exist, they said. "After we brainstormed together, it took us one day to put it all together. We spent around Rs 6,000 for the robot," the team added.

BP DAV School, Midhani, Kanchanbagh, Hyderabad, won the second prize for their live tracking robot. The team comprising Bhavani Shankar, B Sriram, Vikravardhan and Samuel said that the robot is especially useful in hospitals to ensure faster service. "We designed it in two days at a cost of Rs 1,300. The robot is designed to follow a simple black line and not veer away from there. We have used 555 timers and sensors which can keep track of the black line and follow this path throughout. "Initially we tried an advance line robot using micro controllers but we could not succeed so we abandoned the complex idea to design this simple one," they added.

Visakha Valley School's Excelsior won the third prize. V Sai Kireeti who designed this robot says it is useful for the visually impaired in giving them easy mobility. "I have used Lego parts to design this robot which can respond when it feels any obstacles. The simple parts can be disintegrated to be used even in walking sticks which will guide him on the road," he said. He used parts worth Rs 25,000 for the current one named Excelsior. Kireeti has recently won the gold medal in an All-India Robotics competition and has represented the country in Dubai. All the 200 participants received participation certificates at the end of the show.