By Binu Shrestha
Kathmandu, Nov. 2: Demand for the highly advanced visitors’ service robot “Yantrika” developed by Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) has increased both in the national and international markets.
Yantrika 0.1 is the beta-version of the first-ever autonomous humanoid robot recently developed by NAST.
NAST has developed the highly advanced visitor’s service robot for the first time in Nepal.
Roshan Pandey, an engineer faculty of technology of NAST along with technical experts, called Innovative Group, has developed the Artificial Intelligence (AI) based robot.
“We developed such highly advanced robot that has been brought in use in internal level for the first time in Nepal. Now the demand for the robot is high in both national and international levels,” he said. “NAST has been receiving positive response from national and international sectors about the robot. Many companies have been asking us to manufacture the robot for them, but we have told them to support us in research and development and we will support them to transfer technology to manufacture the robot.”
He further said, “We do not manufacture the robot to sell it like private companies. We can work with the interested companies as a coordinator partner after signing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).”
Five national and two internal companies have shown their interest to manufacture robot in coordination with the NAST, said Pandey.
The robot was developed targeting the global pandemic of coronavirus with deep machine learning methods. It can generalise and distinguish the mask-wearing and not-wearing people and give them mask and sanitiser.
It measures the body temperature of the visitors and talks with them and provides information about the NAST to the visitors.
Engineer Pandey said that the main objective of this advanced technology was to give information regarding wearing of mask, measuring body temperature and using sanitizer to general public through a lady volunteer as robot.
The robot is made of fiber material in human shape with more than 25 motors and works on neural network using more than a dozen processors and a tablet in front part of the belly.
A camera is attached to it for measuring body temperature, mask detection and other visual response and tablet for providing the NAST information. Motors for driving system, moving hand and to provide mask from vending machine with welcome greeting as ‘Namaste’ are its features, he added.
“We are planning to add other new features to the robot after Tihar festival.”
In recent days, works are on to decorate the robot to make it more attractive and give realistic look. Many works have been left to give the final touch even though it was inaugurated in rush.
Once the coronavirus disappears, new performance will be included in its system. It will take the presence of staff and ask the absentees for the reason. Other many performances will be added in the robot as per demand of time in coming days, he said.