February - 2010 issue > In Focus

By si Team

Robots will soon find a place at homes, according to robotics engineer Prahlad Vadakeppat. Vadakeppat who, along with his students, is building these robots says that a host of robots would soon be available at home, to care for the elderly, and to assist doctors in hospitals and clinics.

Vadakeppat says that many interactive robots are being planned and they would become a reality within the next five to 10 years. "Interactive robotic systems would be able to communicate and assist in homes and those with mobility problems like the elderly people would have robots on an assisted technical platform, which will be used to get them water, medicines, and newspapers," he explains. He says that the human-like robots would be mass-produced and would soon be available in China, India, and Singapore. The prices of the robots will vary depending on their specifications.

Recently, this robotic engineer showcased some of his robots at a technical seminar on 'Advances in Robotics' in Qatar. Two-foot humanoid robots fitted with cameras and sensors, which can play football and dance, along with a robot that has a re-configurable modular robotic system that makes it possible to link two small robots to perform a function were featured during the event. "We are designing these robots for difficult tasks such as working inside a pipe by sending the robot inside to perform the tasks, while it can be manipulated by men from outside," he says.

Vadakeppat says that a new aspect of robotics called edutainment is also in the pipeline to attract more youngsters to robotics education. He adds, "To further draw young people to robotics engineering, we will be organizing a robotic world cup in Bangalore later this year and in Dubai in 2011." The event will be organized by the Federation of International Robot-Soccer Association founded by none other than Vadakeppat himself.

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