We Indians can never be underestimated when it comes to smart thinking and technological uses. Seeing the heights technology has achieved in this current century, everything and anything can be fathomed as Indian scientists and engineers are trying something new each day. Unlike the previous tech-deprived scenarios, where exploring something interesting was difficult and tedious, the present times are flooded with new discoveries and technological achievements now and then.
The latest buzz in Indian technology world is that a research team from Indian Institute of Technology, Indore has come up with a successful design of a material based robot which can function in underwater conditions and can be used for defense related surveillance issues.
This news was brought out in the open by Nirmala Menon. She is the person in charge for media and news of IIT Indore. Through her job of keeping the world updated with her institute, we got to know that, “Dr. I.A Palani with his research group at IIT-Indore has successfully developed the robot.”
Under the guidance of Dr. I. A Palani, his team of IIT engineers, has designed a robot which is in bio-mimetic shape memory alloy and can perform under water. With an aim of making the process of bio-mimicking wavy motions of fishes underwater, this new robot has successfully been created. Because with this bio-mimicking quality, this robot can imitate various fish movements and can float under water like fishes do. Initially this smart underwater robot will float just below the surface of water and with gradual up-gradations, more changes will be done it its framework.
The entire project has been funded by Promotion of Research/Innovation for Undergraduate Student (PRIUS) scheme. It is one of those schemes which operates for projects related to IIT Indore only.
This robot not only moves like a fish but is also made to look like one. Media expert of IIT Indore, Nirmala Menon, informed the media, that “The skeleton of the robot fish is designed using CAD and the final prototype is 3D printed. SMA springs were chosen as actuators and it acts as a dynamic rib in the skeletal structures.”
In fact both its skin and the caudal fin are made using photopolymer, which through effects from UV rays gets its shape accordingly. The posterior of the robot is also made up of polymer but one which is of a softer quality.
Along with this smart underwater robot, the research team led by Dr. I. A Palani is moving ahead to make smart material centered micro-devices and development of shape memory alloy integrated & glassed fiber reinforced composite flapper for defense missiles is also in process.
The above mentioned project of micro-devices is commenced by three teams; Volvo Eicher, IIT Indore for waste heat recovery from the automobile engine by means of SMA bi-morph and MHRD. Development of SMA triggered micro devices, drug delivery valves and SMA stimulated Stewart daises for Opto-Mechatronics device is being presently worked upon. Whereas the missile project is undertaken in collaboration with Defense Research Development Organization (DRDO).
