Indian Trains Now has 'USTAAD', An AI-Powered Robot to Ensure Safety

To check technical faults and ensure the safety of trains in India, a robot will now replace humans as Central Railways has developed an in-house robot named 'USTAAD' (abbreviation of 'Undergear Surveillance Through Artificial Intelligence Assisted Droid'), which will now check for safety in under gear parts of train coaches.

The new Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered robot will click photos and record videos of the train, under the gears and then transmits them over WiFi to engineers for maintenance and repair, thus reducing chances of human error while examining undergear equipment on Indian Railways trains.

Developed by Mechanical Branch of the Nagpur Division of Central Railways, the new robot USTAAD can watch and examine areas which cannot be seen and approached by humans usually, due to the narrow spaces between under-gear parts.

Some of the very proficient features and practical capabilities of USTAAD are as follows:

HD camera:

For the constructive and appropriate examination of train’s coaches or wagon’s parts, USTAAD has been facilitated with HD (high-definition) camera. This HD camera is able to move 320 degrees on X-axis and 130 degrees on Y axis so that the maximum portion of under gear gets covered. The camera captures video as well as still photographs of the under gear parts of the coaches in real time and then, can transfer them over Wi-Fi. The engineer can study these videos on the big screen and can record the same. The HD camera of USTAAD can be rotated in any direction as per commands given by the engineer. The camera can also zoom in or zoom out on the spot, during safety inspection.

[caption id="attachment_127897" align="aligncenter" width="660"] USTAAD, The AI-powered Robot (Image - Financialexpress.com)[/caption]

LED flood lights:

USTAAD is also equipped with LED (light-emitting diode) flood lights and is able to capture the videos in low light conditions as well as in dark mode. With the help of the robot’s technical power, the chances of any mistake overlooked by the human eye can be eliminated, which, in turn, reduces the chances of human error. With the help of USTAAD, engineers can easily analyse and examine areas which are difficult to see and impossible to approach manually. Cramped and narrow spaces, between or under the gear parts, can be easily captured by the robot.

Sound detection

The robot can also tap the sound of flat tyre, during placement of the rake on the Pit Line. This is particularly important for prior detection of flat tyre, in order to keep a check on the train’s swift journey.

Indian trains, which are second largest rail network of world, are known as the cheapest mode of transportation which millions of people prefer to travel in rather then other transport services. However, some times this busiest rail network comes to standstill due to accidents and mishaps.

By use of USTAAD robot, the chances of a mistake and any deficiency overlooked by the human eye can be eliminated.

It may also be recalled that in August this year, Indian Railways has also got its first 'SMART' coach including AI-enabled CCTV cameras. The 'SMART' coach, built by Modern Coach Factory, Raebareli, are equipped with black boxes and coach information and diagnostics systems.

Source - Financial Express

India's First Companion Robot Maker Emotix Raises $2 Mn from IDG Ventures India, YourNest

Mumbai-based robot making startup Emotix has raised $2 million in a funding round led by venture capital firms IDG Ventures India and YourNest. The startup has created India’s first personal companion robot, Miko, which has the capability of engaging, educating, and entertaining a child the Indian way.

Founded in October 2014 by three IIT-Bombay alumni -- Sneh Vaswani, Prashant Iyengar & Chintan Raikar, Emotix is creator of India’s first companion robot Miko, and is a technology driven company focused at developing emotionally intelligent systems in verticals of Robotics, Internet of things and Artificial Intelligence.

The funds raised will be used for new product development and research in the area of consumer robotics focussed on emotional and artificial intelligence. The funds will also be used for creating new consumer robot products that the company will roll out in the coming years.

The startup unveiled the Miko prototype at recent CES 2018, a global electronics event. The startup is going to address one of Miko's limitations with the refresh, which is called Miko Plus. While Miko requires you to use a smartphone to issue commands to the robot, Miko Plus will allow you to issue voice commands directly, with no smartphone involved.



Priced at Rs.19,000, Miko is an emotionally intelligent robot capable of engaging, educating and entertaining. Designed for children above the ages of five, this pint-sized package has access to a wide pool of knowledge which it conveys to a child in a conversational manner.

“Over the past two-and-a-half years, we have created a hardware product for consumers specifically focusing on children from the age of 5 to their teenage years. The robot Miko has a conversation and can teach them about diverse things from flowers to cars,” Sneh Vaswani, cofounder of Emotix said.

The startup claim to have seen an equal amount of traction from parents in tier-II and -III cities, as well as from those in the metros. “Besides a consistent growth rate in sales, we surpass some of the best AI conversational stacks globally, by clocking 37 times the average session duration with our user as compared to industry peers,” added Vaswani.

The above news was first reported in Economic Times.

To recall, in December, H-Bots Robotics, a Hyderabad-based robotics startup, has unveiled world’s first smart policing robot. The robot is developed by the startup is fully 'Made in India', using all the components sourced from within the country.

In April 2017, a Chennai based startup had launched a a food serving robot and soon after a Mall robot was also launched by an another Indian startup.

Recent Robotic Startups Fundings

In February, Chennai-based Planys Technologies, an IIT-Madras incubated marine robotics startup that provides under-water inspection and survey solutions using custom-built submersible drones, has raised ₹14 Cr Series A round from Kris Gopalakrishnan along with investors who participated in this round including Pratithi Investment Trust, MEMG (Manipal Education and Medical Group) Family Office, and some HNIs including S Gopal, former director of Chemplast Sanmar.

In the same month, Kerala-based GenRobotic, along with three other startups, has raised funding from Unicorn India Ventures.

India's First Ever Robot In Any Mall Has Launched Just Now

Within a few days after a Chennai startup launches food serving robot, an another Chennai based startup -- Express Avenue, as the destination shopping mall of India has launched "EA BOT" - a mall greeter Robot which will engage and guide the customers in various ways. The grand Inauguration and launch event of “EA BOT” happened today at the Central Atrium of the mall in the midst of invited Guests, Celebrities and Visitors of Express Avenue.

Being a Pioneer is not new for Express Avenue mall. Proving it once again, Express Avenue is now the India’s first shopping mall to feature a Robot. With the launch of “EA BOT”, Express Avenue has taken the first step towards Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotic Assistance in helping and guiding the visitors and mall guests. Youngsters and children are very much excited about the featured robot and enthusiastic about clicking selfies with EA BOT.

The Launch and Inauguration event witnessed Mr. Bharat Joshi - Deputy High Commissioner, British High Commission, Chennai, Mr. Jon Bonnar - Australian Deputy Consul-General for South India, Ms. Saroj Goenka - Chairperson, Express Infrastructure Private Limited and Ms. Kavita Singhania - Managing Director, Express Avenue & Express Infrastructure Private Limited along with the other Diplomats, Celebrities, Corporate Heads and Socialites.

EA BOT is a 5 feet tall Robot with a 22 inches screen monitor which will help the mall guests with Mall Guide, Store Locators, Directions to the store, Deals and offers of the Day, Navigation - Guidance, Live updates and Human interactions. This 85 Kgs weigh robot will roam around the Central Atrium of Express Avenue mall. It will greet the mall visitors and guests who go near it by saying, “Hi I am EA BOT. Welcome to Express Avenue, How can I help you”. EA BOT is automatic and has a specific perimeter and travel zone.



Ms. Saroj Goenka, Chairperson, Express Infrastructure Private Limited said “As the world proceeds in a faster pace, there are lots of technological advancements and inventions jump in to help and sophisticate the mankind. “EA BOT” is one such initiative which will help as well as guide the visitors of Express Avenue. I hope EA BOT will be more useful for the mall guests than the excitement factor which it carries”.

Ms. Kavita Singhania, Managing Director, Express Avenue & Express Infrastructure Private Limited said “I am glad that Express Avenue is the first mall in India to feature a robot which aims to provide the future shopping experience for our visitors. “EA BOT” will be helpful for the visitors to reach out to the shop which they look for and will remain as a thrilling factor for kids and youngsters who visit the mall. Express Avenue gives key preference to convenience and sophistication of the customers and it will continue to rely on the same criterion”.

Robots are used as Mall Greeters in various countries across the world, similarly Express Avenue has pioneered this initiative in India to present a fascinating shopping experience for its customers and helps in crowd management in a bigger way.
Express Avenue invites the shoppers of the city to spare their valuable time with this new addition to their favourite mall. It will remain as a wow factor for sure and will help the customers to reach out to the category of shops or the exact shop which they look for in the mall premises. There are many more exciting factors to be unveiled throughout the summer vacation for the shoppers and the tourists who visit the mall.