Neelamadhab, a Plus-II science student  of Talanagar College with his creation
Neelamadhab, a Plus-II science student of Talanagar College with his creation

Balasore teenager creates robot that can patrol border

AS heightened tension along the Indo-Pak border hogs the limelight almost everyday, a village lad from Balasore district has claimed to have made a humanoid robot, which, with artificial intelligence

BHUBANESWAR: AS heightened tension along the Indo-Pak border hogs the limelight almost everyday, a village lad from Balasore district has claimed to have made a humanoid robot, which, with artificial intelligence algorithms, can guard the border.

Besides, the humanoid robot –  Atom 3.7 – as dubbed by the teenager, can be used to replace human workforce in many fields such as defence, automation, entertainment, education, manufacturing industry and home services.

Seventeen-year-old Neelamadhab Behera of Santaragadia village has made the humanoid robot, first of its kind in the State, which many of his age group would not even dare to think.

Neelamadhab, a Plus-II science student of Talanagar College near Soro, has spent around `4 lakh for the project and made it successful in just over a year.
“I started working on it in January last year and the robot was completed earlier this month. The 4.7-foot high robot, weighing around 30 kg,  runs in basic programming. It has 14 sensors and five controllers,” he said.

Son of school teacher Shashikant Behera, Neelamadhab had been fond of technology since his childhood. He had a special attraction for scientific toys.
When he was in Class III, he had made his first technology project. Dismantling and reassembling had been his passion.

Though he attempted to make his first robot when he was in  Class VI, he was unsuccessful. Gradually, he started getting acquainted with new technologies.

His laboratory was his asbestos-roofed and mud-walled house where he worked during nights to give shape to his dream. Though initially his father was not confident, he, however, extended financial support after Neelamadhab convinced him that it would be Odisha’s first humanoid robot.  
“I started conceptualising it when I came to know that there is no humanoid in Odisha. I did not have any training, but internet helped me a lot. I failed several times, but continued research to make a perfect robot. I am happy that the humanoid robot is ready and it can do most of the work a human does. It can talk, lift and pick up things,” he said.

Describing the making of the robot, he said a humanoid robot acts with the help of four things – servos, actuators, proprioceptive and exteroceptive sensors. Proprioceptive sensors sense position, orientation and speed of the humanoid’s body and joints.

While humans use their own proprioceptive sensors for their orientation, the humanoid robot uses accelerometers to measure acceleration, tilt sensors to measure inclination, force sensors placed in robot’s hands and feet measure contact force with environment, vision sensors work like the eyes of humans.

Neelamadhab said he needs more money to make the robot fully perfect and wants to pursue higher education in robotics. He has started working on his next project – a multi-rotor drone, which will be of help for safety and security of women.

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