Students get hooked to robotics

Updated on: Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Robotics has caught up with the student community in a big way and many students have started forming groups in colleges to discuss several aspects of robotics

They run, jump, dance and even respond like humans. The only difference is that they are made of metal and wires. Robotics has caught up within the student community in a big way and this is just the beginning.

From cars to making one's own wireless controlled robots and also canned satellites, it's all made thanks to tech savvy students, who are on the look out for components online or rather manufacture parts themselves.

The craze is such that many students have started forming groups in colleges to discuss several aspects of robotics and Aditya Baghel, CEO of Workshop India agrees so.

“The scene is catching pace and most of the students are taking initiatives to promote robotics among their peers,” says the final year student from Vellore Institute of Technology. “Most of the colleges teach the theoretical aspects of robotics. But lack in practical applications.

However, the scene is changing now. Information is readily available online and several forums, where like minded people from around the globe share their experiences and video logs about their projects,” he says.

A series of workshops are conducted by Workshop India on the technical and non-technical aspects of robotics.

Be it the basic electrical features such as motors, switches and batteries and the mechanical aspects such as arms, grippers, tank belts which are used in making a robot. “Apart from mechanics and electronics, students from communications background too are doing their bit to make robots more interactive. Things such as wireless controlling too are getting better by the day, which is a good sign. Also, there are very few courses that cater to the needs of robotics, students from other streams get together to share knowledge on different subjects,” says Rahul Kumar, a student from JNTU.

Several things such as microprocessors, micro controllers give students an advantage to program their robots to carry out a specific task, given to the level of complexity of the task. “One can buy components on the Internet according to their projects. Most of the wireless controllers available online are costly. However, there are components which help control robots from a range of 50 meters to 400 meters,” says Mr. Baghel.

Such high end processors and components only help the robot to complete complex tasks such as solving a maze or navigating a path, not to mention detecting things. But the main factor in robotics remains team work.

“Its just not what you know, the team work counts too. Sometimes, we might be stuck with a problem and the team members come forward to help, this is what makes robotics special,” says Mr. Kumar.

Students get hooked to robotics

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