Foreign universities are looking at India for talent to work on their ambitious robotics projects. Gauri Rane chats with representatives of Ireland’s Aberystwyth University to find out more about their Autonomous Sailing Robot or ASR project.
The global robotics industry is estimated to be worth USD 17.8 billion and the share of the Indian robotics industry is estimated at USD 750 million. It is probably keeping this in mind that both Indian and foreign educational institutions are looking to train talented minds for the impending skill gap.
"We are here to look at institutional tie-ups and also tell prospective students how they can benefit from taking a course at Ireland’s Aberystwyth University," says Edel Sherratt, lecturer, Department of Computer Science at the University. "We want to showcase our infrastructure, our curriculum and introduce Indian students to the kind of projects we undertake," informs Amarjeet S Mutneja, international officer, Aberystwyth University, adding that the Autonomous Sailing Robot (ASR) is one of the many projects that students from the Computer Science department work on.
Explaining the working of the ASR, Sherratt says, "The primary role of an ASR is to carry out missions at sea." Working on twin functions, these robots have to primarily survive at sea by themselves and carry out the mission. An ASR has to chart its own course, transmit their positions and in the mean while carry out a mission which usually involves sensing work like examining the quality of the sea water, or identifying how rapidly the glaciers are melting.
So how does the ASR help? "Sea missions are generally conducted by manned ships where professionals have to bear extreme climates to carry out mission and ASRs are a cost-effective alternative," informs Sherratt. The professor informs that the department`s next mission is the Microtransat challenge. "We want to see if such a boat can sail across the Atlantic. It has not yet happened but with each attempt I can say we are progressing as we have had some of the longest survival rates," she says.
The University welcomes students who wish to contribute to such projects. And students have contributed at different levels to the ASR project. "A number of PhD students have been working on the power management systems of the boats used in these projects. They work with different designs and combinations to see what can work for navigating the sea, withstand current and different climates," informs Sherratt. While PhDs take care of power management systems Masters students work on the proposed designs (of the boat), sails etc. "Undergraduate students also contribute but their major contribution is participating in the World Robotics Sailing championships," adds Mutneja. Both Sherratt and Mutneja are of the view that not many Indian students take up such projects though. "Since they are very academically inclined they do take time to understand that working on these projects is actually a lot of fun.
Once they experience it, they are willing to balance both academics and the project work," informs Sherratt.
What is an ASR?
Autonomous Sailing Robot or ASR navigates the ocean for extended periods of time without the need for remote control. This makes them particularly suitable for monitoring sea temperature, surveying glaciers, allowing large scale environmental studies to be carried out at minimal cost and human effort.
