Members of a private robotics institute from Karamadai, including three school students, have claimed to have developed a robot to assist those in COVID-19 self-isolation. It transports food, medicine and smartphone to the affected.
S.D.R. Niranjan, founder of Mukkudal Robotics, who mentored the project, demonstrated the machine here on Saturday.
He said that K. Viswath, a Class 11 student, and K. Nithin and S. Athul Krishna, Class 10 students, came up with the idea in April and the machine was developed in a month.
The robot contained eight sensors, including ultraviolet, touch, gyro and colour sensors, he said.
With an ability to carry up to 10 kg, the machine could help give food, clothes, and medicine to COVID-19 patients in self-isolation without any human interference and also had a provision to place a smartphone for tele consultation with doctors, Mr. Niranjan said. It could also carry hand sanitisers to the patients and could clean a room by itself, he claimed.
While it could be controlled using remote control, the robot could also be calibrated in advance to carry out specific tasks.
“We are planning to use in two residences in Karamadai to help patients in home isolation,” Mr. Niranjan said. The machine would be upgraded in future to transport oxygen cylinders to hospitals, he added.
