Lacking a conversation partner? No problem! Arjun (Class XII) and Sookrit Malik (Class X), two Doon School boys, have made a robot that looks a lot like the Disney fiction robot, WALL-E — 2.5 feet high, with two cameras for eyes, a speaker for a mouth and a track system for legs. The 3D Robo iTalk, an award winning working
model, is an artificial intelligence-laden machine capable of starting and continuing a conversation with human beings on almost any topic. It talks in English, has a slight lisp and is very energetic. “It even understands human moods of happiness and anger with the help of unique programmed algorithms and a software development kit which has been given to us by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA,” say the proud inventor duo.
While the iTalk has become the talk of the country already, it is worth mentioning that the budding inventors made four other projects in less than the original ` 1 lakh allotted to them by the school. Not just the funds, the students thank the enormous encouragement given to them by their alma mater in helping to discover their calling — technology. “I have been programming the robot in at least five different languages, including C++, Visual BASIC, MATLAB, Java and Python. I read book after book, and then re-read them, to know more about these languages. After that came the process of building the robot,” recalls Arjun.
And was that hard?
“I built it using a combination of tools from the hardware store, 3D modelling tools such as Google SketchUp and AutoCAD and circuit designing tools such as EagleCAD.” He explains, “I spent three-four months with it every day, and now I’ll spend another three months along with Sookrit to give it some finishing touches.”
So, have hobbies like designing circuits helped them to get here? The answer is an enthusiastic yes! Going ahead, the students plan to take the robot to international innovation forums and get greater technical assistance from institutes like MIT.
But that won’t spell the end of the road. “We still have a long way to go,” says Sookrit who, post his Class X exam, wants to take up IB Physics.
Currently, both Arjun and Sookrit have gone back to their studies, with this year being their Board exam one.
So did building the robot mean that life was consumed with programming, and technical design? “Studies have always been there. What the robot made me miss were other fun activities like aeromodelling and debating. Thank God, robotics is just another hobby; it did cover up the missing gap a bit,” says Sookrit.
So what do Arjun and Sookrit feel about developing a machine that could change the way people talk? To put it mildly, these boys are elated to accept the fact that their lives can be divided into the pre and post-iTalk era. And their moment of pride is lived by everyone at the school — fellow students and teachers alike. With Arjun and Sookrit leading the way, it seems likely that other alma maters won’t be far behind!