NIT student prepares multitasking robot

Tribune News Service

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Jalandhar, September 22

K Prasanth Kumar, a postgraduate student of National Institute of Technology (NIT), Jalandhar, has made a multitasking robot that can intelligently adjust its height while performing several tasks, including surveillance.

Prasanth who is pursuing robotics under DR KS Nagla said, “It took him more than six months to make the robot that is useful in different areas such as surveillance under the complex environment of earthquake debris, military operations, cleaning and for entertainment purposes.”

KS Nagla, Head of the Department of Instrumentation, said, "The speciality of the robot is that the design of wheels is based on origami that flattens if robot perceives low clearance passage, such as under the table or sofa, adding that and it can also extend its shape when required. The smallest size to which the robot can flattens is 1.5-1 inch and the maximum extension size is four inches.

Prashanth prepared the wheels indigenously by using plastic laminate sheets and buckram which is a stiff cloth, made up of cotton, which is used to cover and protect books and also used to strengthen the cuffs and collars of the clothes. The flower-shaped wheels are strong enough to move in muddy and sandy surface, therefore it can also be used in large agricultural fields.

Apart from intelligence, features in the robot, he has also added a new programme, called “path planning” in the robot that enables it to move autonomously in the desired direction.

KS Nagla said this sort of approach to design a robot could help in making multifunctional intelligent robots which could be used to solve the complicated tasks trough single clicks.

He said these kinds of robots could also be used for agricultural and space applications as the robot wheels were light weight and air pressure inside the wheel may not be required due to their structural configuration. Origami robots are faster, cheaper and easy to fabricate as compare to other robots.