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CUTEBOT, a multipurpose service robot and also empowered with a wheeled mobile platform, has been developed for multiple uses including security surveillance and in a hospital environment by Dr. B R Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar.

The official statement also mentioned that the robot is equipped with a voice communication system and a camera which will help medical staff and doctors a great deal by connecting through the audio-visual screen with patients of not only COVID-19 but of other infectious diseases too. The robot will also help in delivering refreshments in the isolation wards and in counseling patients on medicines.

For security, it will help security personnel in surveillance and other mandatory areas.

The robot has been designed jointly by the Director of the Institute Prof L K Awasthi and Associate Professor Kuldeep Singh Nagla who is also a specialist in robotics and automation and was unveiled by Subhash Chandra Ralhan, Chairperson of Board of Governors of NIT Jalandhar.

As per Kuldeep Nagla, some of the specials features of the CUTEBOT are:

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  It can carry around 15 kg weight while doing other tasks in the hospital environment and can easily operate between two beds. It can also be used to monitor the patients' activities.

  
  


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  It can be controlled through the internet as well as a wire-based joystick within the radius of 25-30 mtrs.

  
  


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  It can move at a variable speed of 22 meters/ minute and can rotate its head to 360 degrees to communicate.

  
  


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  It needs to be recharged after a minimum of 02 hours of continuous work and can also acquire a UV light disinfector independently.

  
  


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  It can also be used as an electronic cart to carry hospital waste, garbage, and other materials in the hospitals.

  
  


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  It can also be used in the domestic environment as well such as to attend disabled/ elderly people, in marriage functions, and in hotels, among others.

  
  

Nagle further added, "Interestingly, the robot can easily be modified to control from several hundred kilometers through the internet just by changing the software. This up-gradation may prove to be suitable for security agencies while working in operational fields".

Prof L K Awasthi also informed that the cost of the robot ranges from Rs. 02 lakh to Rs. 2.5 lakh which makes this low-cost robot unique as compared to other foreign market's robots. He informed that the technology has already been transported to a Gujarat-based company for its commercialization and mass production.