Thiruvananthapuram: You’ve seen them in movies, now you can shake hands with one in this very city. The first of the robots that will go into the making of a full-fledged ‘Gallery of Robots’ has arrived at the city’s Kerala State Science and Technology Museum (KSSTM). Alongside astronomy, robotics is set to become a major preoccupation of KSSTM in future.
The gallery will be thrown open to the public by March next, KSSTM director Arul Jerald Prakash said. ‘’We have procured a Bioloid, which is a small educational robot, from Boston, US, at a cost of ` 3 lakh. In the first phase, we will open a Robotic Corner at the old museum building on November 14, Children’s Day. And in Phase II, the gallery by March 2013,’’ he said.
On Wednesday, programmers were busy tending to the 1.5-feet-tall Bioloid, which has around 210 degrees of freedom. It can walk, jump, do gymnastics, kick a football or hit a cover drive. ‘’In fact, it can do a lot of things a human can do. You only have to programme it,’’ Arul Jerald Prakash said.
The Robotics Corner, which forms Phase I of the KSSTM plans, will have about 15 exhibits consisting of components such as motors and sensors that go into the making of a robot. In Phase II, for the gallery, KSSTM is set to obtain more robots, and has earmarked Rs 15 lakh for the project. ‘’The public can enjoy a two-hour demonstration of the robot,’’ he said.
Course on Robotics
The KSSTM has already launched a weekend course on robotics for ninth standard students. The course, which is organised in association with a Kochi-based private firm, is conducted using Lego robotic arms.
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