Young engineering students showcased their creativity in robotics yesterday, hoping to introduce new technologies to improve people’s daily lives.
The young innovators displayed their creations at the one-day National Robotics Festival 2014, organised by the Engineering Students’ Association of Bangladesh, at the National Sports Council auditorium in the capital.
Around 15 prototype robots, each with a distinct use for domestic, industrial or military applications, were presented at the fair by students from different public and private universities across the country.
“Our Agrobot is for technology-based farming. We have designed a grip to hold harvested crop and there is also a blade to reap the crops. Solar energy can be used to power it,” said Nazifa Rumman, a student of the Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST).
Several hundred visitors, especially youngsters, crammed in the venue to see the robots in action.
The MIST group also displayed a spy robot which can target and shoot.
The robot has a laser targeting system, and can be used for sounding an alarm, firing bullets or launching missiles.
“In future we will add arms on it. There will be cameras added for surveillance work,” said a MIST student.
There was also surrogate robot, which can be controlled by voice.
“Imagine, you need to clean an area contaminated with hazardous materials. You just send the robot and act like you are picking up the waste.
The robot, following your body movement, will act the same,” explained one of the inventors Abdullah Hil Kafi.
The group from Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology showcased a robot controlled by two smart phones.
Students of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet), showed an industrial robot. The robot can keep an eye on the machines in a factory.
“It happens now and then that machines get heated up and catch fire. These robots can detect if any machine in a room is getting overheated. It will rush to it and spray water or chemicals to avert a fire,” said the BUET team leader.
Most of the participants said their projects were actually prototypes and cost from Tk 3000 to Tk 15000.
“Yes, if they get funding, the projects can be implemented on a larger scale, and be used for daily tasks,” said M Kaykobad, a BUET teacher and one of the initiators of the fest.
There was also a poster-making competition for young school and college students.
The National Robotics Festival is a continuation of the “Robi-Prothom Alo Global Robotics Challenge,” which was held in February last year in association with IIT Kanpur.