Students invent robot

With the recent fanfare around the visit of international celebrity robot Sophia to Dhaka, public interest in the potential role of robots in our very human future has been piqued. In Jhenidah, meanwhile, three polytechnic students have been busy inventing a robot of their own: one designed to perform domestic chores.

Called the “Automatic House Cleaner and Life Safety Robot,” the invention of Hridoy Hossain, together with classmates Md Kawsar Hossain and Md Sabbir Hossain, relies on around three and a half months of research, with as many years devoted to the trial phase. Ultimately, the finished robot cost around Tk 12,000 to construct, with funding provided by teachers from the Jhenidah Polytechnic Institute where the youths study.

“The robot we have now starts working when told to by its controller,” says Hridoy. “It can clean the house, prevent and respond to fire emergencies and switch off the electricity of a house. It also repels flies and mosquitoes.”

Indeed the robot can do much more. It can regulate a home's internal temperature by operating air coolers, fans and other electric devices. It turns on the lights when night falls, and via solar power it can ensure household appliances are fully charged.

 “In factories and offices too,” adds Hridoy, “the robot can save both time and money.”

The robot last year won a skill competition organised in Jhenidah, judged as the best invention among the 31 entrants. In a subsequent regional competition involving thirteen polytechnic institutes, a respectable fifth place was achieved.

“If we shape the robot to look like a human it will cost around Tk 70,000,” says co-inventor Kawsar. “If we are truly to have a digital Bangladesh, robots have a key role to play in every sphere of our lives. With government funding and further development, our robot could be a part of such a future for Bangladesh.”

“This robot could be considered a milestone in building a digital Bangladesh, for the betterment of human lives,” says the head of the polytechnic institute's electronics department, Al-Haj Md Rabiul Islam.