by The India’s youngest robot maker
Saarang Sumesh made robots on his own long before he started going to school. The seven-year-old Class II student of Choice School, Tripunithura, is the youngest maker of robots in the state and, probably, the youngest in the country as well.
The Palluruthy native, son of Sumesh V S and Srijaya, started building complex machines like internal combustion engine models from the age of three. By four, he began building the LEGO NxT robot models and started making his own robot models – walking stick for the visually challenged, house-cleaning robot, robotic hand, tricycle, humanoid robot – by the time he turned five. Now, he learns and makes new Arduino projects using micro-control kit (electronic kit) and Raspberry Pi.
From Making Robot
‘’When I got the Lego robotic kit I was thrilled to make robots out of it. Later, I started making robots for different purposes. I visit the Fab Lab at Startup Village and try to learn the operation. I now want to build a vacuum cleaner robot, a laser cutter and a 3D printing machine,” says Saarang who wants to become a scientist when he grows up. Saarang said he made the robots and other things when he returned from school. He went to bed only late.
“Saarang is an immensely talented kid. He is probably the youngest maker of robots not only in Kerala but also in the country. I have seen kids who make robots at the age of 13. But Saarang exhibits great potential and picks up things in robotics swiftly even at a very young age,” says Sijo Kuruvilla George, founding CEO, Startup Village, and one of his mentors in Kerala.
Achievements
Saarang achievements include making a Cleaner Robot and a safety Smart Seat Belt that can sense emergencies. He was the youngest participant at the California Makers Fest, 2016. To stay abreast of the latest developments in the tech world. His latest innovation is a smart car seat belt that automatically detaches in case of fire and accident which he developed in 2017. The innovation was sparked by a tragedy in Thrissur when a car in which a family was travelling suddenly caught fire.
Inspiration for engineering students
“The youngest robot maker, he is an inspiration for engineering students also. We are planning to enroll him in the next Fab Lab (Fab Lab is a small time workshop offering high-end digital fabrication) course which normally engineering grads and post-graduates do,” said Kerala Startup Mission CEO Saji Gopinath. The state will do everything to keep up his scientific tempo, he added.
