“I want to build a Chitti of Enthiran . He is the best gentleman I know,” said seven-year-old Bharanitharan, going back to his wires, sensors and motors.
Surrounding him is a group of children, all about 10 years old, watching the construction of a ‘sumo wrestler’ that will fight other robots at the Junior Roboteer competition to be held soon at IIT-Madras.
This scene at Karunanilayam Home in Mogappair is unique.
Every child here aspires to be a scientist or an engineer, and they seem to be on the right track. Most of them, orphaned at a very young age, have spent at least last five years at the home. The children started taking an interest in robotics when a group of college students started frequenting the home to teach them about machines and robots.
“Initially they were reluctant but then we showed them how they could make a light glow.
Now, they wait for us to come, and don’t let us leave easily,” said Udhaya Shankar, a final-year engineering student from DIYA, a team under the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Foundation, an NGO that looks at making robotics affordable and accessible to all children.
Udhaya and seven of his friends have been teaching children at the home to make robots for six months now.
Apart from the sumo wrestler they are building, the children are working on other projects. Kaushalya (11) is working on a smart house sensor that switches off all lights and fans as soon as people leave the house, and switches them on when someone enters the room.
“This can be useful to families with toddlers. Sometime babies crawl into dark rooms and get hit by sharp objects,” he said.
Another student is building a robot that assists a biker, and tells him when to slow down. “Both the rider and the robot will wear helmets,” says 10-year-old Santhosh. Seven-year-old Vignesh however, wants a robot that can bark like dog, and also play with him. “I want a pet badly,” he said.
Managing with less than 10 motors and 20 kits, the college students say the children have learnt to share their limited resources.
“We only want more volunteers who are patient with them. Some children work on this the entire day. That level of interest is something we hardly ever see in other children,” said Harish, another volunteer.
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