Amrita School of Engineering
Robotics is multi-disciplinary in nature and requires that students learn from and interact closely with students from allied branches of study. The Amrita Robotics Lab has been initiated to provide Amrita University students a center from which to develop and implement robotic technology. This goal oriented research center will enable students from multiple disciplines to learn, create, and apply knowledge in a variety of advanced topics such as machine vision and image processing, Digital Signal Processing and speech recognition, advanced algorithms, digital architecture development, communication networks, Mechatronics and electronic controls, and Artificial Intelligence, among others.
Students in all three Schools of Engineering at Amrita University have the option to study Robotics as an elective subject. At Amritapuri and Bangalore campuses, the Robotics Labs supplement what is taught in the classroom with practical and hands-on experience. These labs have been the genesis for many successful student projects, providing the space and tools that students need to work on these complex projects.
An important aspect of the Amrita Robotics Lab is its ability to harness Indias world renowned natural skills, talents, and resources in computer science, programming, and internet technology. This makes the Amrita Robotics Lab an ideal training place for university students seeking to add practical experience to their theoretical studies. The multi-disciplinary nature of robotics work will draw students from Computer Science, Internet Technology, Electronics, Electrical, and Communications Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and others. The integration of these fields will require disciplined and coordinated team skills; further training Amrita University students for valuable leadership and teamwork positions in industry. A new logo for the club was framed with the icon "LEARN, INNOVATE AND EXCEL".
Chakshyaan, translated from Sanskrit and approximately defined as "vehicle-with-eyes" is the name of an ambitious undertaking by third year mechanical and electronics engineering students. These students are creating a remote control flying vehicle with video capability. Funded by their college, they are constructing on a hover craft which will have the ability to take videos at a given location and transmit data back to a base station. Incidentally, Dr. Abdul Kalam's first ever project as a scientist was to build a hover craft, and it was the first time Indian scientists had succeeded on such a endeavor without any help from the western scientific community.
Other student groups are working on hybrid rickshaw projects. Rickshaws and auto-rickshaws that can run on diesel, electricity or solar power are being designed and tested, and one of these projects has even received funding from a group in the US.
Initially in June 2006, a team of students built a robot whose movements could easily be monitored and controlled using a computer. Soon after this, in response to overwhelming interest from the student community, the Robotics Lab began. Concurrently, Josh Freeman, who has a master's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma in the US and has several years work experience with General Motors, joined Amrita University. He was inspired by Amma's vision to build a world-class research and teaching institution in India and was asked to take charge of the lab. From its inception, Josh and his students have painstakingly built the lab, equipping it with state-of-the-art supplies that are needed to complete various projects.