AcYut 4––a robotic humanoid developed by five students from BITS Pilani––may not be performing supersized stunts like Rajinikanth in Robot, but it can exhibit some real-time human-like actions that is sure to flabbergast you. The name AcYut is derived from the Sanskrit word “Achyut” meaning “the indestructible” or “the one who never falls”.

“The robot can walk long distances, bend and pick up things and climb stairs. It can detect objects and play autonomous soccer,” exclaims Akash Gupta, team leader and a third year BE Mechanical student. He adds, “AcYut has an autonomous weightlifting world record in its category for 40 CDs. The robot was designed with the robotic vision, keeping in mind the autonomous soccer competition we planned to partake in”. Other members of the team AcYut include Tushar Agrawal, Apoorv Shrivastava, Deepak Gopinath, and Dhairya Seth.

As the name suggests––AcYut 4 is the fourth in a series of robots developed by the team. Gupta and his team started with building a prototype biped with just scrape aluminium and some old motors lying in the robotics lab at BITS Pilani and, over the last three years, developed four robots. When the team began working on AcYut 4, the challenge was to improvise on the previous versions––include vision and object detection algorithms, enhance the design of AcYut’s torso, develop a stabler walking algorithm with the use of inertial measurement unit (IMU), and develop a graphical user interface for easy control. Talking about their experience, the team admitted that it was quite a humongous task to make the stable two-legged robot walk––a default feature that was so easily integrated in living creatures by their maker.

AcYut 4 won accolades for its performance at the prestigious Robocup Iran 2011 and Robogames 2011 held in San Francisco a month ago. When asked about the contests they participated in, Gupta exclaims, “Each competition we participate in is a unique learning experience. The exposure to both new technology and cultures is enriching. Competitions apart, we had a fantastic time visiting places, meeting new people, clicking pictures and indulging in different cuisines!”

Team AcYut at Robogames 2010