A 62-year-old retired hospital employee has built robots at his own expense that can perform tasks which can help autistic children learn, spread awareness on diseases such as dengue and even work as a waiter.
Atanu Ghosh, a resident of Howrah city, said he learnt to design robots from his father Nripendra Nath Ghosh, who worked in Calcutta University’s Department of Physiology as a research equipment designer.
He designed his first remote-controlled robot in 1979, at the age of 18, for which he had earned kudos from the then prime minister Indira Gandhi.
In an interview with PTI, Ghosh said he built his next robot ‘Krity’ during the pandemic period and used it to deliver medicines to COVID patients.
“In 2023, I built another robot named ‘Bravo’ to aid autistic children in learning words, colours and shapes under the supervision of doctors. It can also create awareness on diseases such as dengue through its display and also work as a waiter,” he said.
Stating that he built the two robots at his own expense, Ghosh said if he received financial assistance from the government or entrepreneurs, he would be able to build more such machines for public benefit.
Since the robots were home-built and with easily accessible parts, some of which were obtained without payment, a cost breakdown was not available, he said.
“It’s more a passion, so frankly I did not keep track of costs,” said Ghosh.
“I have been approached by a businessman for possible developments. I need to do some more work,” he added.
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