Meet this UPES lad with a passion for designing human-like robots

Abhinav Mudgal, a final-year student at UPES School of Engineering, designed and developed a robot named 9 Degree of Freedom Humanoid Bipedal Robot to mimic human-like functions

UPES provides its students an environment that allows them to share unique ideas with fellow researchers, students, and faculty. The university fosters a community that is involved and passionate as they work on breakthrough discoveries in medical and assistive robots, augmented reality, robot motion planning, human-robot interaction, and much more. Students have the freedom to design their own projects according to their field of study and interest.

Abhinav Mudgal, a final-year student at UPES School of Engineering designed and developed a robot named 9 Degree of Freedom Humanoid Bipedal Robot to mimic human-like functions. It is a small model and can only simulate basic human functions like walking, hand movements, etc.

Soon, Abhinav wants to make a big model (human size) that will help perform several functions, ranging from factories to household through a set of programs and Machine Learning techniques.

“In the year 2017, I took admission in UPES. I chose to study B. Tech Mechatronics with a specialisation in Robotics and Automation. The curriculum at UPES is an amalgamation of mechanical, electrical, and electronics. Ever since my childhood, I dreamt of creating Robots (mainly those which resemble bipedalism). From my second year, I started reading and experimenting various research papers, projects, microcontrollers, algorithms about robotics, AI, automation, and many more. I also took guidance and inputs from my faculty and have finally able to create one.”

Developing and designing a robot is a challenging task. At times it takes years or decades to complete one project. Energy-efficient and lightweight design are important not only for the mobility of the robotic system but also for the safety of the user. A heavy robot can cause more harm in case of an accident than a light and more compliant one. Yet existing Control Schemes and Machine Learning Algorithms for the robotic systems are limited. Generating consistent motions and behaviours which approximately look credible is a mammoth task. Path planning (by detecting and avoiding the obstacles) from the initial position to the target position is the most important function of any navigational technique. Therefore, the proper selection of the Machine Learning Algorithm is critical in the development of robots while working in a simple and complex environment.

Implementation of Machine Learning algorithms and Motion and Path Planning in a Robot were some of the challenges faced by Abhinav in the development of the robot.

Says Abhinav, “After carrying out all the necessary designing and calculation work in Engineering Software such as CATIA V5 and Solidworks at UPES Labs, I started procuring microcontrollers, servomotors, aluminium brackets and web camera through e-commerce websites. As a student of Mechatronics Engineering, I am well-versed in Robotics, Advanced Robotics, Mechatronics System Design, Distributed Control Systems, PLC and Hydraulics and Pneumatics. All these major subjects have helped me widen my area of knowledge.”

“I feel motivation and dedication are extremely important in life. When you are passionate about what you do, you can easily achieve your goals. Apart from this robot, I have successfully designed and developed a few more projects like Mask Detection System with AI and an Automatic Hand Sanitizer Dispenser,” adds Abhinav.

“I am grateful to my family who has sacrificed a lot to help me achieve my dreams. Dr. Natraj Mishra from the Department of Mechanical Engineering was my guide, friend, and mentor throughout the project. I received constant inputs regarding design and development from Dr. Deepak Bhardwaj, Department of Mechanical Engineering,” says Abhinav.