25 students will unveil a robot conceptualised and built by them in the city tomorrow; to participate in the Sydney competition in March
The team of school kids that will unveil their robot at the Nehru Science Centre
A group of 25 students, aged between 12 and 17 years, is all set to present a robot they conceptualised, programmed and built from scratch, at an exhibition at the Nehru Science Centre tomorrow. After wooing the city audience at the science week, the group, which calls itself the 'R Factor', will take off to Australia to participate in the prestigious robotics competition, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) to be held at the Sydney Olympic Park, in March. The group started working on this project barely three years ago, after a hobby class on robotics intrigued them.
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The group comprises students from eight city schools. Adhyyan Seksaria, a Std XI student who heads the programming segment of the project, said, "Building robots started off as a hobby, but now, we devote all our free time to our robot. We also visit schools to encourage more students to take up robotics."
While the students have received sponsorship from various business houses, they operate out of a small workshop inside the Parle factory at Vile Parle.
The 50-kg robot
According to Seksaria, their 50-kg creation is all set to take up robotic challenges. "The challenge is to pick up blocks spread across a field, which may be the size of a basketball ground. At the end of the challenge, the robot needs to climb a bar, one foot above the ground," said Aarushi Majumder, a Std XI student who heads the electricals segment.
Chief mentor of the group Nilesh Shah, who also happens to be the father of one of the members, said, "These children work after their school hours and during the weekends. During weekends, we organise special sessions for new joiners. We are firm believers on hands-on training, and even our robotics manual is a pictorial."
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