BENGALURU: The students of Sapthagiri College of Engineering have developed a Hexapod (six-legged robot), a spider-shaped robot — which can be used in search and rescue operations — and also as a Blindman’s Smart Stick for easy navigation for the blind.

The Hexapod has unlimited range and is controlled using an internet-connected mobile device from any part of the world. In addition to this, it has live streaming feature, 360-degree movable camera, and temperature sensors to obtain temperature and humidity readings. Anudeep Medisetti, one of the inventors of the pod, said, “It can move in all directions at two different speeds.

It also has a mike for communication during rescue operations or in calamities. It can avoid obstacles on its own with the help of Arduino sensor.

The Hexapod can also be used in nuclear power plants for obtaining live temperature readings and for military spying.

The cost of the prototype version is `25,000, but can be reduced, once produced on a large scale.
“The robot is inspired from the movement of insects and can be used in mining industries”, said Ravishankar. The device was designed by Aravind Valsalan, Harsha M N, Anudeep Medisetti and Deepak Kumar of Sapthagiri College of Engineering.

D500 aid to detect obstacles

Aiming to help the visually challenged gain independence, the students also developed an aid that costs only `500, and which can detect obstacles and water to help the user safely navigate roads. The device is integrated with ultrasonic sensors along with water-sensing feature and the ultrasonic transceiver modules help in detecting obstacles in the front, above and below knee-level of the person, using ultrasonic waves. A special feature in this stick is that the sounds produced by the stick are different for obstacles and water detection. Also, radio frequency remotes help in locating the device, if it gets lost. Pavan Kumar H D, one of the four student inventors said, “Every time the person uses the remote, the sound will be emitted which can be easily heard by visually challenged people since they have a unique ability to follow sounds.” The student designers Pallavi S, Pavan Kumar H D, Poorva H and Shilpa H S were thinking of upgrading the prototype since it focused only on static obstacles by infusing dynamic changes which will help the visually challenged to navigate through heavy crowds.