Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A multi-tasking robot has emerged as the center of attraction at the 31st National Science Congress held at Ravindra Bhawan in Bhopal on Friday.
The robot named ‘Kombai,’ designed by IISER (Indian Institute of Science Education and Research), can walk on all fours on steel limbs, jump, dance, climb stairs, and even greet people with its arms folded.
Controlled with a remote, ‘Kombai’ can be used for defense purposes, rescue operations, and even for household tasks in the future, said research student at IISER Shivendranath Mishra, who headed the robo-designing team of technocrats.
The team completed the project in one and a half years at a cost of Rs 26 lakh.
“Equipped with six cameras, ‘Kombai’ can be used for surveillance on battlefields and can fire shots if fitted with a gun. The robot can be used for rescue operations as we are working on making it water- and fireproof,” Shivendra shared.
The team of technocrats is working on designing multiple robots capable of communicating with each other to work as a team.
“After reverse engineering the design, we will apply for a patent and will develop ‘Kombai’ as a multi-tasking machine that will work on command,” says Shivendra.
The team has also designed ‘crazy flies’ (mini drones equipped with cameras) that are capable of locating victims during disasters and other emergency situations.
Other projects at the event
Students of several other prestigious institutes exhibited smart projects at the National Science Congress. One such project was a garbage disposal alert device designed by high school students of the city. The device is used for alerting the user when their dustbin is full.
Another device that stole the limelight was a multi-tasking farming machine which uses artificial intelligence and intricate engineering to perform tasks at the field. The machine ploughs the land, sows the seeds and water them.
