Robot turtles to tutor kids

A few minutes later,12-year-old Neel Sangai and 15-year-old Purvin Pandya were teaching this reporter how to make a maroon-shelled Turtle move.

“Click on ‘Germinate Code’,then switch on robot,choose Program Control …”said Purvin,moving the mouse with a hand and holding the Turtle with another as Neel pointed out where the censors were located.

The Turtle – an educational robot made by Ahmedabad-based robotics start-up Gridbots is the weapon of choice for teaching beginners,both schoolkids as well as engineering students.

The IIM-A-CIIE incubated company has begun setting up franchise “Gridbots” robot stores in the city and two out of six are already in full swing.

At the SJ Edu and Tech ‘robostore’ on the first floor of the Oxford Tower at Gurukul,franchise head Ajai Shah pointed out the different types of robots sitting on shelves, priced anywhere from a few thousand to a little below a lakh rupees.

Gridbots has developed robots useful for industries,educational institutes,security agencies and others. But only a few are yet displayed in the ‘robostores’,while others can be ordered online.

The ‘robostores’ double up as classrooms,where seven-module courses (each module lasting seven-days) on robotics are held with module fees standing at Rs 1,500 (for students of classes up to 6) and Rs 2,500 for others.

Each ‘robostore’ is run and managed by members of the educational trusts which operate the robotics courses using Gridbots’ robots,a business model Gridbots’ CEO Pulkit Gaur developed during his firm’s incubation days at CIIE.

In the Gurukul store,Shah was demonstrating how the Turtle,a do-it-yourself robot used extensively for the first-module course,could also be controlled through any telephone.

The robostore,about two months old,is gearing for a new phenomenon which will start this Monday – RoboClubs,where robot-enthusiasts can register and,using Gridbots’ products,build robots and create their own robot commands.