IIT students to build robotic soldiers

In Indian Institute of Technology-Roorkee (IIT-Roorkee), a group of PhD students are working on a four-legged robot that would be able to carry weapons to soldiers on the battlefront.

"We are working on the operational prototype of a four-legged robot that consists of a chassis and can be used at the forefront of war areas, for instance to carry weapons," P.M. Pathak, associate professor in the mechanical engineering department, told IANS.

"Even if one limb is hit by a bullet, the robot can continue to function on the remaining three limbs, and even of two," explained Divye Anand, a third year student in the robotics department.

Some students are working on a robotic arm that resembles a human arm with flexible finger-like extensions that can be used to pick up, hold or even push objects. The robotic arm can withstand high heat and can be used by people who work in hazardous spaces like blast furnaces.

At the annual IIT-Roorkee TechFest - Cognizance - hundreds of students from various IITs and other engineering colleges across India showcased over 2,000 robotic inventions.

Adding further, Pathak said robotics has developed over the years - from the 1950s and 1960s when the first industrial robots were introduced. They were thought of as mechanical devices used in industries for mass production.

Now they are used in different fields and have become more specialized and understand complex commands - and, in some cases, even logic."

Explaining how a robot is made, Pathak said the students first design its features and functions on a computer.

"We help students by making them study the structure, and tell them how to control and power the robots," he said.

Until now, robotic activities have been tested in the Indian health sector with surgeries. For instance, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has a precision prostate robotic surgeries unit, Pathak said.

Recalling his first year at the IIT-R robotics department, Divye Anand told IANS: "I was thrilled to see robots that could walk, pick and place objects on their own."

"Robots work with precision and can perform tasks faster than humans. They save workers from performing dangerous tasks and working in hazardous conditions and thus save human lives", Pathak added.

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