JOIN USBudding techies develop automated trolley for KIMS Covid-19 hospital
To eliminate the risk of hospital staff getting infected with Covid-19 while supplying food to patients at the Covid ward, a team of young techies including fresh graduates and BE students has developed an automatic guided vehicle (AGV) for the Covid-19 hospital of the Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) in Hubballi.
'Innovative Techies' team comprising 10 students and fresh graduates from KLE Technological University (KLETU) and KLE Institute of Technology (KLEIT) on Wednesday handed over 'Pradhaaya' AGV to the KIMS. In a period of two-and-a-half months, they have designed and developed this AGV which moves on designated track, and stops at designated places near beds, for contactless delivery of food to Covid-19 patients.
"With an intention to make the work of frontline staff in COVID ward bit easy, we have come up with this device. It can carry 10 kg of food or medicine, and its battery charge lasts for one full day. It can be operated both automatically and manually. Tracks are being marked at the Covid-19 wards for the movement of this machine, which also has an obstacle detection sensor which makes its movement safer," said Madan Yaragatti, a robotics engineering student of the KLETU.
Kiran K, Pranav Kulkarni, Rahul Patil, Abhilash G, Karthik R, K Abhishek, Abhishek S, and Vinayak H are also the members of the team which has developed this machine.
This was a multi-disciplinary project executed under the guidance of Dr Ravi Guttal of KLETU, Dr S C Sajjan of KLEIT, and others. The same team had developed a contactless sanitiser dispensing machine for the KIMS earlier.
Swarna Group managing director V S V Prasad, who has sponsored the AGV project, stated that nearly Rs 2.50 lakh is spent for designing and developing this unique device, and he is ready to sponsor more such projects which would be helpful for the society.
District In-charge and Large & Medium Scale Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar unveiled the AGV, and observed its functioning style. "It works like a robot," he said, lauding the youth who developed it.