Coimbatore Corporation school students build autonomous robo-car prototype

Twelve students from Coimbatore build a prototype robotic car with obstacle-detecting sensors, aiming to explore AI technology.

Twelve students from the Siddhapudur Corporation Girls Higher Secondary School in Coimbatore have built a prototype robotic car, equipped with sensors capable of detecting obstacles and autonomously halting its motion.

The students, who have been keen on exploring robotics, were provided with the opportunity to delve into the field with the school’s Alumni Committee and the Residents Awareness Association of Coimbatore (RAAC).

Meeting once a week under the guidance of various expert in the field during special classes conducted for the team, the students learnt the intricacies of robotics and coding, which culminated in the creation of several small projects.

“Most plans did not materialise, but we did not lose hope. We were determined to create a car because we are all fascinated by Tesla,” said M. Kaviarasi, a class VII student who is part of the team with members from classes VI to IX.

Explaining the car’s workings, team leader Yajini said, “Building the frame or body was simple. We gave it electrical connections for movement with a battery. The hard part was to include the sensor for which we used an ultrasonic sensor to measure the distance to an object using sound waves.”

The team said that in the future, they would like to explore technology with the use of Artificial Intelligence .

Head Mistress Malathi said that the students aspired to develop devices for tasks such as sorting garbage and detecting explosives, utilising robotics technology.