Robo-in-the-Box

Chennai-based SP Robotic Works teaches youngsters to build their own robots through DIY kits and online tutorials.

- Anshul Dhamija

Seventeen-year-old Abishek Shankar plans to start a company once he finishes building his robot over the next four months. Currently the third prototype, his robot autonomously collects tennis balls from a court. “I guess this would be a much cheaper alternative compared to paying a ball boy every month. It’s a one-time investment for any tennis academy,” says Abishek, who had taken tennis lessons. “I would spend about 15 minutes of the hour-long class collecting balls and that frustrated me.” That’s how the idea to build a robot came to Abishek, a class 12 student at PSBB School, in KK Nagar, Chennai.

Abishek’s interest in robotics began three years ago when he signed up for a course taught by the husband-wife duo of Sneha Priya and S Pranavan, co-founders of SP Robotic Works. “Four of my friends had joined the course, which is what pushed me to join. But they quit after the third level and I continued,” says Abishek. The 10-level robotics course taught children aged between 11 and 17 years how to build a basic robot. The course included topics related to electronic and mechanical engineering, software programming, and algorithms. It was taught through robotic kits that are designed and developed by the couple. (While Sneha and Pranavan design every product they sell, the different parts are made through contract manufacturing.)