Bangladeshi made robot at BASIS fair

The robot and its designer Feroz Ahmed Siddiky (right) stand at the Softexpo 2008 in Dhaka yesterday.Photo: STAR

ANTS can sing, welcome the guests and walk around, and perhaps one day this Bangladeshi robot will be able to clean the floor as well.
At least that's the hope of Feroz Ahmed Siddiky, the robot's designer who was demonstrating yesterday the skills of the country's first-ever android servant at the BASIS fair in Dhaka.
Feroz, a computer science student of International Islamic University Chittagong, Dhaka campus, started making robot under a research and development project since 2005.
It may be seemed ambitious to even a scientist in a developed world at that time, but zeal and curiosity had helped Feroz to invent something different.
He has used MATLAB language to direct his robot. MATLAB is a high-level technical computing language and interactive environment for algorithm development, data visualisation and analysis and numeric computation.
Now, also by using advance neural technology system-ANTS, Feroz's human machine can sing besides detecting obstacles on the way of walking.
He needs to work more to make the robot more functioning, the inventor said, hoping to turn his local technology-based one into a developed version in a span of one year.
Australia-based IT firm techANTS hired Feroz as a director recently.
“If I get technical support from my employer, it is possible to go for commercial venture of robot in the next couple of years,” he said.
Eyeing a rising demand for robots in the developed world in between 2010 and 2025, he said, “ Then, we get a chance to enter that market.”
“Bangladesh must succeed in a commercial venture of robotic technology, because by applying the latest technology I believe it is possible to supply home servant robot at a price ranging from $1000 to $1500”, Feroz went on.
In the fair organised by Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS), Feroz's robot now stands at the techANTS stall to greet the guests by saying “Respective guests, welcome.”