UPES faculty member develops mobile robot with combat support applications

Dr. Abhishek Sharma, research scientist from the School of Engineering, has created mobile robots that can detect and trace the target or victim’s location and position to prevent casualties in war and other terrorist attacks

Technological innovations impact all aspects of our world – from agriculture to transportation to how we communicate with each other. As an educational institution, UPES has always focused on providing an environment that encourages innovation.

The latest in the long line-up of innovations at UPES are mobile robots created by Dr. Abhishek Sharma, a Research Scientist from the School of Engineering. He received a funding of INR 1 lakh from UPES for the project.

Abhishek was part of the rescue operation by mobile robots in disaster-prone areas using swarm intelligence techniques. He started working on the project while he was pursuing his Master’s in Israel. The loss of human lives in the Mumbai terror attack and Uri made Abhishek work relentlessly on the robots and other prototypes that had defence applications.

Search and rescue operations were performed by the aerial and mobile robots. They used swarm intelligence optimisation techniques for correlation and communication between each other and the user mainframe. Aerial and mobile robots used thermal imaging cameras and sensors to detect and trace the target or victim’s location and position and update the mainframe. These robots use path planning and path detection techniques to reach the victim and perform the rescue operation.

The total weight of the robot without any extra load of ammunition is one-and-a-half kilogram. The speed of the robot is ten-meter per second. Carbon fibre was the material used and for quick movement of the robot, the wheels were placed in an omni direction without any directional movements. The maximum time that the robot would take to identify the target would be 30 minutes. Also, the robot can be used in the beaten tracks or on multi-terrain floors. 

When asked about this invention, Abhishek says, “I wanted to join the Indian Army and gave entrance examinations for the same. But destiny had other plans for me. Unable to join the Indian Army, I wanted to do something for the nation. Therefore, I decided to make technical prototypes beneficial for the defence sector.”

Further adding to the intention behind this project, Abhishek said, “Indian Army had to depend on Israel for equipment and robots which were extremely expensive. I learnt a lot while I was in Israel working on many drone prototypes and mobile robots. Thereafter, I decided to make robots for my own country that can prevent the casualties in war and other terrorist attacks. It would be great if the Indian Army and scientists from Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) could implement this.”

Dr. Abhishek Sharma was recently bestowed with the Emerging Scientist Award 2021 for Engineering Science and Medicine. Adding to the list of his achievements, Abhishek has also published a book on Applied Soft Computing and Embedded System Application in Solar Energy (Mathematical Engineering, Manufacturing and Management Science).

Says he, “Young researchers should be determined and consistent, set high goals for themselves, never lose hope and get involved in a lot of research. They can also seek help from open-source platforms such as Robotics Worldwide.”

“I would like to further develop similar robots with unique capacities such as aerial robots and marine robots to work in extreme circumstances in order to prevent disasters,” he signs off.