Bot_Alpha

Initial design
With object detection
Final product

Inspiration

Desire is always a need to start something off. “Necessity is the mother of Innovation”. We are reviewing one of our older projects with a twist for tackling this pandemic. It is already seen that the world is now trying to tackle this jinxed virus, COIVD-19. These robots are being used across the world to serve the patients at the isolated wards and even to the people in quarantine. It can be clearly observed that the generation of robots has now come, due to the shortage of the personal protective equipment (PPE). Countries are trying to adopt artificial beings which are called robots. It is statistically proven that the robots had already seen a hike in demand. one of the main reasons for switching to robots are, it can be autonomous. Multiple technologies can be added to aid the patient and the doctors, stationing the robots helps to reduce further human contact which is sort of a taboo in the current situation. The aid -form robots can range from entertaining the patients to taking their required tests and furthermore by even spraying disinfectants in meantime.

What it does

There is a wide range of variation when it comes to the assist we get from a robot. Especially in this case, we can expect a lot as the technology keeps on improving gradually. As told above in the inception of the robot, it can be used being more interactive with the people it has come to check with like the medical staff, patients and many others. It can be employed to keep spraying disinfectants on the floor, and can be used to test the people's “remote help for the doctors” which in turn helps by lowering the risk for the medical workers, it will soon be capable of delivering food!! To the patients in the isolation wards. Deploying these robots will certainly embrace safety and allow humans and robots to work together.

How we built it

It was our very first idea for a rover which can be equipped with a camera which provides live video feed. It has a very basic chassis and components such as raspberry-pi, motor controller, dc motors and jumper cables. It was built as a project for submission during internal assessment. We scavenged for parts form wherever possible and tried to build it. It will be very evident by the pictures as it is robust. It has object detection software which can help in recognizing people. We programmed it to be controlled by numerous methods,namely, bluetooth,website and a self-autonomous mode too. The website has controls and a window for live video feed, currently with zero lag if provided with a stable connection.

Challenges we ran into

1.Integrating IBM cloud-based API for object detection was one of the challenges, it was harder due to the unstable WiFi connection.

2.Controlling gpio pins of rover using HTML tags was difficult this was overcome by defining gpio pins and functions in separate files.

3.Getting a hold of many parts was impossible due to the pandemic.

4.Network issues were at their peaks and no one could do their work properly.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We made this in our first year when everyone else was busy with making new friends and trying to fit in, this was our way of having fun.

2.It is our very first project and it still works.

There is a lot of scope for modifications if provided with right amount of funds.

4 Our university recognizes our efforts towards this project.

As of now, the pandemic has prevented us from further development.

What we learned

We've learnt a lot since our very first project. we've learnt to respect each other's perspectives on the same idea. Learning is a continuous process, events like these remind us that there's always something new to learn. "Slow and steady wins the race", we want this project to be widely used in the near future but we will not rush things by sacrificing the quality of the build.

What's next for ASTUTE BOT

We have been selected for the IBM disaster management bounty for the same idea and are looking forward for financial help from our university to make our very first large-scale model. This team also receives help from students in different parts of the country, from various universities. Our aim is to make these products commercially available with numerous modifications/attachments so that they can be used various situations and not only for a pandemic.