Even as Jalikattu was being held across Tamil Nadu, the sport made its presence felt at Anna University on Saturday. As a part of the National Robotics Competition (Robotzindia.com) organised by the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Foundation (RAAIF), a ‘Robo Jallikattu’ match was held with robots designed by the students and organisers.
“As a part of the competition in the innovation category, student teams were to exhibit their projects which involved using robotics to bring about solutions for various topics including waste management and transportation,” said Kris Kumar, founder-chairman of RAAIF.
The students also got a chance to participate in a ‘Robot football league’ and the ‘Robo Jalikattu’.
“For the Robo Jalikattu, we had built a mini representative arena and ‘vaadivaasal’. Students were asked to operate the robots representing the bulls and the men and whichever robot could bypass the other ones and get to the other side of the arena was declared a winner,” Mr. Kris said.
In its fourth edition, the organisers said, the event aims to promote robotics among students as a means of encouraging creativity and innovation as a part of the curriculum across schools. While students of the Chennai Higher Secondary School, Little Mount, exhibited an emergency ambulance robot which would help at the time of disasters, the students of KRM Public School presented a project that focussed on safe bus travel.
“When a passenger is on the footboard, there will be a device which will beep and blink near the driver to alert him. This can prevent accidents and also avoid overcrowding,” said A. Anugraha, a student presenting the project.
Taking up concerns regarding the Public Distribution System (PDS), students of C.K. School of Practical Knowledge, Cuddalore, exhibited a ‘Digital Ration Store’ where consumers would have to use a digital card to procure their monthly provisions, with the system in place helping maintain a database.
