Geek Speak: Abishek Shankar

Terms like “Robotics Hobbyists” are becoming ubiquitous today. With the advent of informal learning or rather unconventional learning platforms, more and more students are trying out their hands at the hitherto unchartered areas of robotics and electronics. Nowhere is this change more pronounced than at Kidobotikz where you can find every other 8th grader working on an arduino board. The ones not working on the arduino are probably using a Viper or a Raspberry Pi. 

The result is an ever growing pool of Kidobotikzians who develop wonderful working models and robots, not to mention the accolades these people receive after one upping the college guys and the pros in the areas of robots. With us today is a robotics pro whose age does not do justice to his stature. He’s only in class 11 but has already logged up a half life’s worth of robotics here at Kidobotikz. Meet Abhishek, an old timer at Kidobotikz and a robotics pro who is our geek for the day. 

Hey Abishek! Can you introduce yourself to our readers?

Hi everyone! I’m Abishek Shankar, studying in class 11 at PSBB KK Nagar. 

Being an early student of Kidobotikz, can you describe your journey with Kidobotikz till now? 

Well, I guess 3 years is a long time. I still remember why I joined Kidobotikz. I had a couple of friends who used to share the classroom benches with and roam around. When they joined this new place called Kidobotikz which was on the way from school, I got curious. Then I also joined here with the intention that I could hang out with them even after school. Today, as I look back, both of them have moved on with their academics catching up but for me robotics has become a very big part of my life. I had recently completed my Expert level and am awaiting the graduation day. Not just me, a lot has changed for Kidobotikz too. When I joined here, it was a small organization. Today, much to our delight they’ve scaled up well and are changing the lives of ever increasing number of students. I am happy for them and the entire community of Kidobotikzians.

Interesting. So, how do you think robotics has changed you?

Robotics has changed me in ways I could not have imagined. I see things differently now, I imagine about things in technical manner, the “how stuff works” part of it has become important to me now. I’ve done things that I never would’ve fathomed. I’ve taken part in Singapore Robo Games, IIT Shaastra and also won several events at NIT- Calicut. To me all this is quite amazing. More importantly, it has empowered me as a student.

How do your parents feel about you? 

My parents have always been supportive of my choices. And when it comes to Kidobotikz, they’re outright supportive of what I do here. In the beginning when I used to participate in events, they were always encouraging me to participate in as many events as possible. Now that I know my way around robotics, the advise me to be picky with the events that I participate in, They ask me to participate in events where I have a sure shot of winning. This is an outlook that I am also inculcating in my participation. 

So, why don’t you tell me about your most favourite roboting experience?

Well, if anything, it has to be the competition I took part in at NIT Calicut. It was a jolly good experience; one that I will always cherish. I managed to win a string of events - 1st Place in Line Tracer, 2nd in Robo Soccer, 3rd in Robo Sumo and two 5th places in Dirt Race and Project Expo events respectively. 

Are there any favourite robots or dream robots of yours?

Well, my favourite robot has to be the Nao robot. On the other hand, I have a dream robot, one that i intend to design and develop. I want to develop a robot that can replace ball pickers at Tennis Courts. Playing tennis a lot has made me realise that the role of ball pickers is quite strenuous and it is time someone came up with an alternative.

That’s impressive. To sum up, I would just like to know as to what your future plans are? 

Well I have always wanted to be an entrepreneur and now I have decided to that I will preneur in the field of robotics. As for my plans related to higher studies, I intend to go abroad and learn robotics at some of the universities renowned for their robotics programmes. So, working towards it.

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First self-driving vehicle produced for Volvo's public trial

The first car built to take part in Volvo's Drive Me trial has rolled off the production line in Torslanda, Sweden. Described by Volvo as "the world's most ambitious and advanced public autonomous driving experiment," Drive Me will see real people using fully autonomous cars on public roads.

Although the cars aren't scheduled to hit the road until next year, Volvo sees this as the beginning of the project, which will be run in Gothenburg with special "hands-off and feet-off" zones allowing for full autonomous use.

The carmaker has been at the forefront of the autonomous driving revolution, most recently in partnering with Uber to ferry passengers around in self-driving taxis and in trialing a self driving truck in an underground mine.

For the Drive Me trial, Volvo XC90 SUVs are being fitted with a variety of sensors, including LiDAR, radar and traditional cameras. The information from the source sensors is then brought together by a powerful computer that Volvo calls the Autonomous Driving Brain in a process called data fusion. The fused data is used to inform the actions that the cars take.

Volvo says that the Drive Me project differs from others in its customer-focused approach. By researching with real drivers in real-world situations, it hopes to gain insights that more controlled research approaches may not yield.

Subsequent to the Drive Me project getting underway at Gothenburg, another leg is planned for launch in London. Volvo says it is considering interest from cities in China too.

Volvo has high hopes for autonomous driving tech. It's already introducing semi-autonomous technologies to help with its aim for no-one to be seriously injured or killed in a new Volvo by the year 2020, and is looking to begin introducing fully autonomous cars commercially by around 2021.

Here's Volvo's run-down on the project:

Source: Volvo, New Atlas 

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Redefine hospitality with some inspired gadgets!

Do you get shy when guests come calling? Is your neighbour constantly goading about the new gadget he/she imported? 

How about getting them all impressed and mystified every time they land on your doorstep?

Well, the easy way would be to innovate something cool that pulls off a smart statement every time someone walks past the threshold!

If you have your Kidobotikz kits, it can be done easy peasy! You’ll probably have all the neighbours dropping in for Navaratri, delight them with some fun projects! 

Following are three fun “Kit-creatives” that you can make using your foundation and beginner level kits. 

1) Automatic Door Bell Using IR Sensor- F

You guests will be amazingly pleased if they found out that right at the moment they landed on your door, they found the calling bell missing but the bell rang anyways. Surprise them with this curious innovation. All you need is an IR Sensor and a Buzzer

Find out how to do it here: Automatic Door Bell Using IR Sensor-F

2) Foot Step Activated Door Bell-F

Imagine the bewilderment of the pizza guy at your doorstep when he finds out that as soon as he stepped onto the doormat he heard the bell go off. Part utilitarian part pranky, this will be a fun project to try out. 

Find out how to do it over here: Foot Step Activated Door Bell-F

3) Smart Door Opening System - F+B

You’ve probably been impressed by the automatic sliding doors at the mall and the airport. Chances are you’ve been through the doors again and again only to marvel at the doors that slide aside automatically on detecting your presence. How about giving the same kind of feel to people who visit your home? If your dad isn’t too pleased with your idea of drilling holes into the door, you can always try this experiment on the windows of your bedroom.

Find out how to do it over here: Smart Door Opening System - F+B

Pull off these projects this holiday season and be the toast of your neighbourhood. 

After all it’s, “Athithi Devo Bhava” ! !

Happy Roboting!

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Grasping drone brings new meaning to "armed aircraft"

It's no secret that flying drones are becoming increasingly useful, with most of their applications tending to involve either obtaining aerial video footage, or being loaded up with cargo by human ground crews. Imagine, however, if they could grab things. While we've already seen experimental "armed" drones, Japan's Prodrone has just unveiled a model that's actually in production.

On display this week at the InterDrone show in Las Vegas, the PD6B-AW-ARM is described by Prodrone as "the world's first dual robot arm large-format drone." Built around the airframe of the company's existing PD6B-AW model, it features two remotely-operated 5-axis robotic arms that can grasp, carry and release a payload of up to 10 kg (22 lb). Algorithms in its onboard software allow it retain stability as its center of gravity shifts while lifting objects.

Powered by two 22.2v/16,000mAh batteries, the weatherproof drone itself has a flight time of up to 30 minutes per charge, a maximum forward speed of 60 km/h (37 mph), and a maximum operating altitude of 5,000 m (16,404 ft).

Along with the obvious grasping and carrying of cargo, the company's suggested uses for the PD6B-AW-ARM also include attaching or joining items, cutting cables, flicking switches, delivering lifesaving buoys, or retrieving hazardous materials. As can be seen in the video below, the arms additionally allow the aircraft to perch on precarious surfaces such as railings.

Source: New Atlas,  Prodrone

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Formal Vs. Informal learning: Which side should one lean upon?

What is the best way of undergoing Education? This is a question that is as old as mankind itself.

Well, if one has to think there are two major ways of educating one’s self.

The first would be the ubiquitous formal education. This would be enrolling oneself to the various existing institutions of learning. Formal education is classroom-based where the instruction would be through teachers, faculty what have you. 

Informal education, on the other hand, would encompass every learning activity that happens outside the classroom. These could be after-school programs, community-based organizations, museums, libraries, or at home. Perhaps an even more pronounced example of this form of learning would be learning through the internet. 

With the advent of internet based learning opportunities, there’s been a constant upheaval among the defenders of the two camps. 

On one side, we have educators who say yay for formal education and nay for informal education, while on the other side we have people who feel that formal education has outlived its utility in the information age where every bit of learning as important as the ones that are a part of the regular curriculum.

The debate over these two forms of education has always remained high pitched. So, where is the middle ground?

Well if there is a middle ground, it lies where the best attributes of these two forms of education are taken into consideration.

Formal education while having the disciplined structure that is required for sustained learning tends to miss out on the variety that informal learning can offer. Teachers need to meet educational standards and stick to a specified curriculum, which can make it difficult for them to incorporate nontraditional content. 

Informal education on the other hand incentivizes learning with the pleasure of satisfaction. It gives the freedom to learner and he or she is free to learn it the way they see it. But, more often than not a student or candidate who wishes to learn online tends to get disoriented on what he/she should actually be learning; a learning experience that is just fun but not of relevance.

How can this be overcome? 

Well, the most logical way to do the same would be to bring together elements of fun from informal learning to the disciplined aspects of formal education.

Does such a system exist? Can it be practical? Will it be of relevance to the current scenario of high intense STEM learning?

Yes, it will be. We at Kidobotikz have been promoting a confluence between the facets of formal and informal learning through our online platform. We’ve incorporated the elements of gamification into some serious concepts of robotics to bring about a curriculum that makes STEM learning a fun activity

Happy Roboting!

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Atlas robot pulls off a delicate balancing act

Having previously shown off impressive capabilities dealing with uneven ground and being pushed around, the humanoid Atlas robot built by Boston Dynamics has now demonstrated the ability to balance unaided on the edge of a plywood board less than an inch thick.

Relying on a control algorithm developed by the Florida Institute for Human & Machine Cognition (IHMC), the Atlas robot looks shaky in parts but manages to balance on the edge for about 22 seconds before falling off. IMHC admits this was a lucky run and that the robot isn't usually able to maintain its balance for that long.

IMHC also points out that the robot only uses onboard sensors and its shakiness is due to "poor state estimation", which is essentially the robot's ability to estimate its position, orientation and velocity so it knows where its various bits and pieces are and where they're going.

IMHC has previously put the 6.1-ft (1.9-m) tall Atlas robot to work vacuuming and doing some light housework around the lab after it finished competing in the 2015 DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC) finals. Maybe a turn at tightrope walking is in its future.

The video below shows the robot's balancing act.

Source: New Atlas, IMHC

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Move along chaffeurs, the robots are here!

In the area of Retail chain, especially the food and household supplies market, robotics as a concept has made massive strides. The industry has reached a point of progress where it is prudent to look at not how robots will drive business transformation, but at how they are already doing so.

Most jobs in the retail industry which involved dexterity and careful human handling are now being taken over by robots; robots that can be described as sophisticated, smart and functional. But what they miss out in anthropomorphic appeal, they more than make up for it in their capabilities. 

In the past few years robots have become adept in adapting themselves to the retail environments and lend a helping hand to the workforce that works in tandem with them. 

When we say robots are helping out, we do not talk of robots that look like ancestors of C3-PO and walk around and talking part in errands. No, we are talking of the kind that is more like an R2; functional and built with purpose.

Following are some examples where robots have already begun to make their presence felt:

Fulfillment of deliveries in restaurants:

Robots like Pepper the robot have started appearing at restaurants all across the globe. These are now replacing manual labour in mundane tasks such as delivery of food entree’ to customers. This has helped the restaurant chains cut back on inefficiencies and help them enhance their customer service

Helping consumers in industrial scale super markets 

As recently as December, Lowe’s introduced a robotic assistant in its stores. Called the LoweBot, will be deployed to 11 stores to help guide home improvers to find items in store. This robot can speak multiple languages and help consumers their way around these stores.

Making sky the limit to cut back on delivery timelines.

When we talk about robots, we should also factor in the thousands of drones that buzz around the airspaces of major city. When industry majors like Domino’s collaborate with relatively unknowns to airdrop pizza boxes out of the sky, it only reiterates the role robotics have played in easing the lives of consumers and industry planners around the world.

All these drive home the fact that robots are becoming a ubiquitous component of our consumerism driven lives.

Happy Roboting!

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In an audacious attempt, PSLV parks 8 satellites in two different orbits.

In a first, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)'s PSLV C-35 rocket launched a total of eight satellites, into two different orbits.

ScatSAT-1 onboard PSLV C-35

The 371 kg SCATSAT-1, a satellite for weather-related studies, was placed in the polar sun synchronous orbit at an altitude of 730 km some 17 minutes after the rocket took off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota at 9.12 a.m.

About two hours later, the rocket placed two satellites from two educational institutions (PISAT and PRATHAM), three commercial payloads from Algeria (ALSAT-1B, 2B and 1N) and one each for Canada (NLS-19) and the United States (Pathfinder-1).

Announcing the successful launch of all the satellites from the Mission Control Centre, ISRO chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar said the Monday launch marked a "landmark day" in the history of ISRO.

The rocket was re-ignited twice during its flight to place the set of satellites in different orbits. Due to the re-ignition, the Monday's launch is by far the longest PSLV launch by ISRO.

ISRO said though it had launched several PSLV rockets in the past, this launch is "the first mission of PSLV in which it had launched its payloads into two different orbits," ISRO said.

The satellites include SCATSAT-1, a satellite for weather studies, IIT-Bombay’s PRATHAM and PISAT from PES University in Bengaluru.

SCATSAT-1, with a life of five years, would provide weather forecasting services through the generation of wind vector products, it said.

PRATHAM 

The 10 kg PRATHAM by IIT Bombay intends to estimate the total electron count with a resolution of 1km x 1km location grid and PISAT (5.25 kg) from PES University in Bengaluru intends to explore remote sensing applications.

Algeria's ALSAT-1B is an earth observation satellite (103 kg), ALSAT-2B a remote sensing satellite (117 kg) and ALSAT-1N (7 kg) a technology demonstrator. Canada's NLS-19 is a technology demonstration micro satellite (8 kg) and Pathfinder-1 is a commercial high resolution imaging micro satellite (44 kg).

Source: The Hindu

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Geek Speak: Ishwarya

When we imagine the terms “Robotics engineer” or “Robotics Hobbyists”, our minds immediately race to a picturesque image of a young boy or gentleman who is meddling with gadgets and wires to develop a truly remarkable piece of machinery. One can almost feel sorry for having been a borderline chauvinist, for the world of robotics and computers is no longer limited to the dorms of young boys and cubicles of professional men. Women are increasingly obsessed in getting their palms greasy with solder, glue and what have you. Nowhere is this change more pronounced than at Kidobotikz where geek-princesses are a familiar sight. They’ve dropped their barbies and picked up their arduinos. This is the true empowerment that we talk about so often. Meanwhile back at Kidobotikz, I strike up a conversation with a young girl who has been quite engrossed in reading a book that has a title “Tatva” and is filled with rules. Upon inquiry she reveals that her classes for the day are over and she is awaiting her mother and reading about upcoming contests in the meantime. Meet Aishwarya, the reigning princess of robotics and our geek for the day.

Hey Aishwarya! Do you mind introducing yourself to our readers?

Hello everyone! I am Ishwarya, and my name starts with an ‘I’ not an ‘A’ (laughs). I study in class 8 of Jawahar Vidyalaya Senior Secondary School. At Kidobotikz, I am now in the expert level.

Can you tell us what led you to join Kidobotikz?

Nothing actually led me to join to kidobotikz. It just happened. On one of their enrollment drives they had distributed pamphlets outside our school. I received one of those pamphlets. It kinda piqued my curiosity. So, took it to my parents who were also interested in the idea of me learning robotics. That’s how I joined here.

That’s as simple as anyone would’ve put it. So, how has been Kidobotikz your experience?

To be honest, I’ve always been interested in science, in particular physics. I’ve always been curious to know more about the world we live in and the way things work. So, youtube used to a big hangout place for me. Joining Kidobotikz helped in a unique way. I was able to channel all of these curiousity into the Kidobotikz courseware and learn a great deal about technology. In particular, I got very interested in humanoid robots after joining Kidobotikz.

That’s interesting. So, what change in your attitude do you feel after joining Kidobotikz?

The day I joined Kidobotikz, I was under the assumption that I would be starting to work on humanoid robots. I assumed that robotics was some high tech activity which starts at a highly complex courseware that would only be getting tougher and tougher. Much to my surprise, here at Kidobotikz, the course started with the most fundamental of concepts such as basic electronics and mechanical. Only then did I realise that the knowledge required for building robots did not start at graduation level but in school. Kidobotikz helped me achieve that holistic perspective of the tech world.

I’m sure Team Kidobotikz feels elated by your compliments. Meanwhile, how was your KRG experience this time? 

I participated in 4 events this time- Line Tracer, Manual Race, Robo Sumo, Balloon Bursters. While, I couldn’t win the events, I managed to give a tough opposition to all participants. I’m working on the positives and I hope to bag a win in the next edition. Amidst all this, I am also gearing up to participate in FTC.

So, what are your plans for the future? Any field of interest that you are looking forward to work in?

I’ve always loved physics, astronomy in particular. I’m very passionate about concepts like black holes, quantum physics. So, I wish to be a physicist. Hopefully, i will implement my knowledge of robotics in these fields as well.

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4K capable aquatic drone ready to dive deep

A new "underwater drone" has taken to the crowdfunding circuit, this time in the form of the CCROV. While it offers the same basic functionality other existing models, it does have at least one distinguishing feature – an integrated 4K camera that sends real-time video to its operator.

By contrast, in the case of he Trident, Fathom One and BlueROV2 which are the competitors, cameras all top out at a resolution of 1080p. The iBubble utilizes an added GoPro Hero4 camera, which can shoot at 4K. Like all four of the other "unmanned-mini-subs-on-a-budget," though, the CCROV is linked to its land-based operator by a control cable – unfortunately, radio waves don't travel well through the water.

Buyers can choose between cable lengths ranging from 20 to 100 meters (66 to 328 ft), all of which are reeled onto a shoreside "tether deployment system." That system communicates via Wi-Fi with the user's iOS/Android mobile device (or an optional joystick control unit) on which they use an app to both view output from the onboard camera, and control the drone down to its maximum dive depth of 100 m.

It should be noted that the Trident and Fathom One do things a little differently in the tether department. They can both be outfitted with a shorter cable that runs up to a Wi-Fi-equipped buoy that's towed along on the surface. That buoy in turn communicates wirelessly with the user, meaning that one long, heavy "sea-to-shore" cable is unnecessary.

Along with its 4K/25fps camera, the CCROV itself also features four 250-lumen LED spotlights and six thrusters – four for horizontal movement, and two for moving vertically. According to its designers, that latter feature allows it to have a much smaller turning radius than drones equipped with just three or four thrusters … which describes the Trident and Fathom One.

One 90-minute charge of its battery, which is located in the tether deployment system as opposed to the drone, should be good for about one hour of use.

If you're interested in getting a CCROV for yourself, it's currently the subject of an Indiegogo campaign. A pledge of US$1,599 will get you one with a 25-m cable, when and if they reach production. The planned retail price is $2,699 – for comparison, prices for the other models we mentioned range from $600 for the Fathom One up to $3,000 for the BlueROV2.

You can see the CCROV in underwater action, in the following video.

Source: Indiegogo, New Atlas

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Geek Speak: Guruprasad

What best defines a Saturday evening? A calm, serene and ambient living room with some peaceful activity like listening to music or a some intensive hobby. That is if you are an adult. If you are student, saturday is the best time to blow off some steam after a gruelling week at school. It will be the ideal day to kick back with some robotics before you need to catch up with your assignments on Sunday. Kidobotikz is usually a place where robotics is used to kick back from the tiresome rigours of the week. Today is no different. There’s a trickle of students who are here to get themselves ready for various competitions. One can look around and notice sheets of paper scribbled with rough designs of sumo robots, race robots, project robots what have you. Amidst all this action, a puny young fella seems to be basking upon what he has developed. Having his name featured on the newsfeed of the kidobotikz app yesterday, he is here to show us what he had developed and tell more about himself. Meet Guru, my namesake and our geek for the day. 

Hi Guru! Can you tell me a bit about yourself?

I’m Guruprasad! I study in class 3 of GRT Mahalakshmi Vidyalaya Matriculation Higher Senior Secondary School.

Can you tell us why and when did you join Kidobotikz?

I joined Kidobotikz on the 19th of August, 2016. I remember the date because I wrote it down on my notebook so that I don’t forget (laughs). My mom saw the advertisement for Kidobotikz on the newspaper and decided to bring me here. Now I am in the foundation level.

That is good. What do you like about Kidobotikz? And how do you feel about the concepts?

The most important thing I like about Kidobotikz is the way of teaching. The online platform is very helpful and when there are doubts, I can easily contact a faculty via the chat and learn more. Before joining here, if there was one thing I was scared about, it was the fact that I forget a lot of what I read. So, I was worried whether I will be remembering everything that I learn. But, thanks to the videos and animations, it is easy to remember every concept. 

Why do you think learning robotics is important?

With Kidobotikz, I am learning very important concepts like Mechanics, Programming and Electronics. All of these are very important concepts themselves. When these are used in robots, that means robots are important too. Not only that, I am interested in becoming an entrepreneur. For that robotics is the best. 

Can you tell me about the robot that you have brought here today?

I’ve assembled a unique tricycle robot with the components from my foundation level kit. The robot contains IR sensors on the front and back. This way, it will go in a straight line. When it comes close to a wall, it will automatically stop and move back. This way it can move around all directions and avoid collisions with obstacles.

Which is your favourite robot?

My favourite robots are humanoid robots. They require the best of technology to be built. That makes them my favourite. 

What to do want to do when you finish schooling and college? 

I have no plans for the future yet. I am just 9 years old (laughs).

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Meet 'Waste Shark', the garbage-gobbling drone which is cleaning up the oceans

There may indeed be floating plastic waste strewn all across the surface of the world's oceans, but most of that trash still enters the water along the shoreline. It was with this in mind that South African entrepreneur Richard Hardiman created the WasteShark. It's an aquatic drone that's designed to autonomously cruise harbors and gulp down garbage, before that waste can drift out to sea.

Manufactured by Hardiman's Netherlands-based company RanMarine, the craft takes the form of a small electric catamaran with a scoop (or "mouth," if you will) located between the pontoons. As the WasteShark moves through the harbor, that scoop skims the surface and collects floating trash, transferring it into an onboard hopper for subsequent removal.

Plans call for the drone to also collect data such as water quality, depth and weather conditions, transmitting that information to port authorities in real time. Additionally, its onboard software will allow it to progressively learn about its environment, so it can tweak its routes for maximum efficiency depending on weather and tides.

Hardiman's project was recently accepted into a Dutch accelerator program for port-related technologies, which is what brought him to The Netherlands. He and his team have been testing WasteShark prototypes in the Port of Rotterdam – they're of two different sizes, and are thus named Fatboy and Slim. A pilot project ultimately calls for four of the craft to work the port over the next few months.

In the long run, Richard hopes to develop a larger solar-powered version called the Great Waste Shark, that can collect up to 500 kg (1,102 lb) of trash at a time. Onboard sensors including a camera will help it avoid collisions with other harbor traffic, although geofencing technology will also be used to keep it out of particularly busy areas.

For now though, you can see the prototypes in action, in the video below.

Source: New Atlas, RanMarine, Popular Science

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Geek Speak: Keshav

         “The future belongs to the curious, The ones who are not afraid to try it, explore it, poke at it, question it and turn it inside out.” 

This interesting quote is by  Clay P. Bedford, a man who was responsible for some truly revolutionary projects like the Grand Coulee Dam. It quite crisply encapsulates the true importance behind imbibing the spirit of curiosity in students. Meanwhile, back at Kidobotikz, it’s a rather quiet friday evening. With the course having gone digital, the few students that are here today are the ones who are transition to their digital courseware or the ones who had some head-scratching doubts in their robotics courses last night. These are the young minds that put in fairly heavy amounts of time into robotics and try to outshine their peers. We meet one such young fella today; one who is quite bubbly, inquisitive and wide grinned. Meet Keshav, our geek for the day. 

Hey Keshav! Can you tell me a bit about yourself?

I’m Keshav. I am in the 3rd grade of PSBB KK Nagar.

Can you tell us why and when did you join Kidobotikz?

I came to Kidobotikz in 2013. I was a very small boy. I saw the board of Kidobotikz and came with dad here. I wanted to join but my parents felt that I was too young. So dad said No. I begged for 2 weeks and finally convinced dad to get me enrolled here.

That is good. What do you like the most about Kidobotikz? And what did you think about Kidobotikz before joining here?

That’s a funny story. Before joining Kidobotikz, I did not know much about robotics or basics. I thought they will give me a humanoid and ask me to make it work. Then finally, when I actually started the course, it was a surprise. I had to start by building robots that ran on wheels, then move on to robots that have legs and only then can i know enough to start developing a humanoid.

The best thing I like about Kidobotikz is the teachers. They are very friendly and teach very patiently.

What level are you in? And why do you like robotics?

Here, I am at the end of Junior Level- 3. I am now in the process of transitioning to the digital platform. I like robotics because I want to build one. I want to become a scientist in the field of robotics.

Which is your favourite robot?

I have no favourite robot. But i have a dream robot. I want to build a robot that can cook by itself and serve the food later on. This I will gift to my mother.

What to do want to do when you finish schooling and college? 

I have no plans on what to do yet. But, my ambition in life is to become a robotics scientist.

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Smart Helmet lets you chat to fellow riders up to half a mile away

Over the years, bike helmets have become more than just a means of protecting a rider's head, helping to keep cyclists informed about their surroundings, signaling turns and playing headbanging tunes, for example. Pulling across some features from its line of smart motorcycle helmets, Sena has unveiled its new smart helmet for cyclists, which includes a QHD camera, Bluetooth connectivity, built-in speakers and an intercom system for keeping in touch with fellow riders.

Bluetooth is the core of what makes the Sena Smart Helmet so smart. Connected to a smartphone, the stylish stack hat can play tunes through two external speakers, which saves a rider closing themselves off from the outside world with earbuds. For those who don't want to glance at a handlebar-mounted screen, the speakers can read out stats like heart rate, speed and cadence from a connected fitness tracking app.

When used in tandem with the microphone at the front, the device also allows for hands-free phone calls. If your riding buddies have their own Smart Helmets, there's an intercom system that allows for up to four people to chat at once, within a half-mile (900 m) range.

Front and center is a mounted camera, which can record up to two hours of video of your rides, in either 1440p Quad HD at 30 fps, or 1080p Full HD at 60 fps. Videos can be overlaid with music from a smart device, and there's an option to also record the voices coming in from the intercom. Those recordings are stored on a MicroSD card, and can be transferred over Wi-Fi after a ride to watch, edit and share the trip.

Two separate mobile apps drive the system. There's one for the camera, which can preview and play videos and set recording options, and one for the headset itself, which allows a rider to set up intercom groups and fiddle with more general settings.

In-transit control can come from buttons on either side of the helmet, with the left side for Bluetooth functions, and buttons to start and stop the camera on the right. For users who'd prefer not to wave their hands around mid-ride, there's an optional accessory that puts those controls right on the handlebars.

Sena unveiled the Smart Helmet for cyclists at Interbike this week, and it's expected to be available in the next few months.

Source: Sena, New Atlas

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Will Robots take over our Jobs? So what?

Will Robots take over our Jobs? What if they do?

Sounds like a very ominous scenario, doesn’t it?

Well, yeah. Robots are replacing humans in a variety of scenarios. Automation is appearing everywhere. Regardless of humans and the pace at which they adapt themselves to the truth, innovations in areas like robotics, computerized algorithms, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, medical sensors and machine-to-machine communications, 3-D printing, and autonomous vehicles will increasingly transform the global economy. They are expected to make the processes efficient and smoother, thereby even displacing many in the human workforce.

So are the possible outcomes somewhat similar to the following imagery?

1) Jobs being replaced by so called “machines with a brain"

2) Humans taking orders from their new robot masters? 

3) Robots competing with humans for jobs and resources.

Funnily enough, the aforementioned scenarios are too ridiculous to be true. AI or robots taking over humans makes good fodder for science fiction but does not hold true in the actual realm. Here, robots are automating processes and activities but not poaching on the livelihoods of humans. If anything, the demand for skilled labour has only gone up. 

Yes, we are talking about STEM. Students from the STEM curricula are in demand around the planet. As more and more automation occurs, the more is requirement for qualified students and professionals who are capable of operating or fine tuning these processes. If anything, the day of the average worker with vocational skills are gone, but it’s sunshine for the one with the right skillsets- possibly in the fields of electronics, computers, mechanics, processes and mathematics.

STEM degrees as % of all degrees in 2011

Facts show that across the BRICS nations and the western world, engineers as a community are the ones in demand (not in quanity but quality). 

Moral of the story?

As we churn out more robots, so do we need to churn out engineers capable of supervising these behemoths.

If you are a engineer or a wanna-be engineer, you can give it a rest and not fret over it. Robots are taking over our jobs, yes; but not making us redundant! They are instead giving us a responsibility of ensuring they do their jobs. 

Happy Roboting ! !

Image credits: The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education
What's the Big Deal?
CNN Money

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Robots learn to nudge around without collisions

On the road to an increasingly autonomous future, robots and AI systems will need to be programmed to instinctively avoid collisions when they take the wheel. But if bots are designed to be too careful, performance may suffer. A team at Georgia Tech has created new algorithms that aim to strike a balance between the two extremes, allowing robots to move in a swarm safely and efficiently.

Collision avoidance is one of the most important considerations of autonomous vehicles and robots, but some researchers have pondered the ethics of allowing self-driving cars to break minor laws to keep things running smoothly. It follows that autonomous robots may need to relax their own "bubbles" of personal space a little, too.

"When you have too many robots together, they get so focused on not colliding with each other that they eventually just stop moving," says Magnus Egerstedt, a roboticist at Georgia Tech. "Their safety behaviors take over and the robots freeze. It's impossible for them to go anywhere because any movement would cause their bubbles to pop."

Similar to other research into robot swarm behavior, Egerstedt's team developed a set of algorithms that allowed a small group of robots to cross paths and swap spots quickly and without crashing into each other. Essentially, each robot navigates using a set of safe states and barrier certificates, but does so with minimal disruption to their key objective.

"In everyday speak, we've shrunk the size of each robot's bubble to make it as small as possible," says Egerstedt. "Our system allows the robots to make the minimum amount of changes to their original behaviors in order to accomplish the task and not smack into each other."

The video below demonstrates the effect of that system, and watching the four robots moving in sync is almost hypnotic. The researchers demonstrate that it works just as well with eight robots, and even if one rogue bot doesn't follow the rules, the others will adapt to the wild card, keeping their distance and continuing onto their goal regardless.

Though there have been a few minor incidents and even a fatality, autonomous technology in cars has a pretty clean record for safety so far, but that's with a relatively limited sample size. These kinds of safety systems could help keep incidents to a minimum as more and more self-driving vehicles pull out into public roads, and even clear the airspace for autonomous planes.

"We haven't seen thousands of autonomous cars on the road together yet," says Egerstedt. "Robots are very conservative — they want to make sure they're safe. You couldn't pack the interstate with self-driving cars with today's technology."

The team's research paper will be presented at the IEEE Conference on Decision and Control in December.

Source: Georgia Tech, New Atlas

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Robots have transformed agriculture. Here's how!

When we think of Farming, our mind immediately races to the images of farmers and their oxen dredging in the fields. Farming has always remained the dominion of human labour with either beasts of burden or expensive machines supplementing their efforts.

The concepts of accuracy, prediction or cutting edge technology are always one that have remained unassociated with agriculture. All of that has changed in the past few years- thanks to robotics!

While there are a few naysayers behind the entry of robotics into the area of agriculture, most are happy to embrace automation, especially when it helps boost income and reduce stress. But whether you love robots, fear them, or just can’t look away, they are upending farming as we know it. We would like to present to you some of those mean machines which have turned quite a few heads.

1) Wine Bot

Created by a french inventor named Christophe Millot, this self-propelled robot is used for pruning vines, removing young shoots, and monitoring soil and vine health. Millot named his bot Wall-Ye, an interesting tribute to the beloved animated film character. Wall-Ye incorporates a tight security system. It is designed in such a way that it can be commanded to operate at pre-designated vineyards and any intervention with an malicious intent will only result in the self-destruction of the hard drive.

2) Bee Bot

Harvard engineers have unveiled a teeny-tiny bee bot dubbed RoboBee. Allegedly to be the smallest flying robot ever made the goals of this cute little robot are broad and have far reaching impact on the planet. It finds potential applications in everything from autonomous pollination to post-disaster search and rescue. In the UK, researchers are working on an autonomous bee with a more structured goal. They want to map the honeybee brain so they can completely synthesize bee behavior — and keep the world’s food chain intact.

3) SwagBot

SwagBot, designed by the Australian Centre for Field Robotics, has been conceived with a unique purpose in mind. It is designed to monitor and interact with crops and plants, along with animals roaming about the farm. The omni-directional, all-wheel drive electric robot is built to withstand rugged terrain and can even take trailers along for the ride. The team recently let SwagBot loose on a cattle farm where it towed a trailer, interacted with horses, rolled across fallen logs and powered through streams.

4) Farmbot

Farmbot Genesis is an open source, autonomous farming system that is supposed to fit virtually anyone’s backyard, greenhouse or rooftop. Sensors make it possible to leverage real-time data about soil. Additionally a camera monitors plant health—when it detects weeds, it removes them autonomously. Offering a huge list of mods and add-ons—from rainwater collection to compost to resource management—there’s a lot of customization possible.

Last but not least, 

5) Case IH Concept Vehicle

We’ve reserved this behemoth for the last. Quite a burly monster, this technology is expected to turn the agricultural world on its head. The Case IH Concept, which dropped the cabin of a tractor to envision what the future of self-driving tractors might look like. This autonomous tractor is designed to be remotely monitored and programmed. It uses a combination of sensors to detect obstacles and warn farmers, asking them to plot the ideal course around it without tearing up the field. It packs features such telematics for remote management of farm machinery. 

At this juncture, it is also worth to mention the fact we at Kidobotikz are also doing our bit to the field of agriculture by making our own robot optimised for agriculture. Called Agribot, this robot is packs in quite a few features that will make it an asset for any farmer.

Happy Roboting ! !

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