IIT Techfest 2012: All about Robotics

It features 21 degrees of freedom (DOF), 1 DOF for pelvic, hands that can grip, inertial measurement unit (IMU) and four ultrasonic sensors that provide NAO with stability and positioning within space. It equips a powerful CPU of x86 AMD Geode 500 MHz, along with four microphones, two speakers and two CMOS cameras (640 x 480), for text-to-speech synthesis, sound localization and facial and shape recognition. We tried to interact with Nao, check out how it responded. 

GPR-18 Rover - Surveillance applications
The GRP-18 or Rover by GOR is a robotic platform that can be used for tracking or surveillance purposes in extreme conditions. It can roll over rocks and climb steps, while moving through dust, dirt and can be half submerged into water. It can even bear a fall from up to 12 feet. One can load it with up to 14kgs of payload.

It can be used for varied applications such as field surveillance with the use of remote PTZ cameras for situational awareness, giving a bird’s eye view of surroundings with real time recording. It can be used as Hazmat for carrying payload in hostile conditions. Similar kinds of robots were used in Afghanistan and Iraq during hostile conditions. Moreover, its yet another application is oil tank maintenance and inspection.

Prototype to fill in pot holes

GOR also showcased foldable robot capable of indoor surveillance. For example – throw the folded bot in a house with hostages with a mounted camera that slyly gives a view of the situation within. In the industrial robotic section, what also caught our attention is the industrial model by eyantra based on Firebird platform that can be used to detect and fill potholes. The displayed bots display great potential for future applications and clearly show how robotics was favored at the international exhibitions at the Techfest 2012.