Here comes the ‘Agribot’

From the last 15 days, 26-year-old P. S. V. Kisshann has been sitting tight. Having filed a patent for an agricultural robot he designed and created, the founder of Innovators of India, a start-up, is banking on getting the patent for his innovation, which he believes will ease the work of farmers while tilling their lands.

A B. Tech (mechanical) graduate from the Gokaraju Rangaraju Institute of Engineering Technology (GRIET) here, Kisshann’s love for robotics gave him the idea to build the ‘Agribot’. “In Japan, people have robots to serve tea. I wanted to do something more helpful, and making work easier for farmers is one of the best ways to help society, given how important agriculture is to us,” he said.

The ‘Agribot’ can plough the field, water it and sow seeds for a fixed period of time, with the help of a timer. “These are the basic functions with which I created the machine. Recently I also added another feature that predicts weather as well,” said Kisshann, who is passionate about robotics, and got the idea to build the machine about four years ago.

Kisshann took inputs from a relative who is a farmer in Vijayawada and other farmers in the latter’s village to find out the problems they face in their fields. “I realised that it takes them half a day to just plough the field. My ‘Agribot’ can do the same in just half an hour. Also, you can simply set a time in it to do a particular job,” he explained.

All-terrain wheels

The ‘Agribot’also faced hiccups before the final model was tested and its design sent to acquire patents. Initially, the first prototype of the machine was not able to move freely on some soils. Kisshann then added all-terrain wheels to take care of that problem. “Now it can move on any kind soil. We tested it on eight types before the final design was out,” he mentioned.

The 26-year old also plans to show his innovation to both the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments. Once patented, the price of the machine will be around Rs.1.2 lakh, said Kisshann. “I met A.P. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu earlier this year and discussed my ideas about it. Once I get the patent I will decide what to do,” said Kisshann.

To build the ‘Agribot’, all the parts were bought locally. Had the machine needed any humanoid features, then they would have had to be imported from Japan. Given his interest in robotics, Kisshann also started the ‘Club of Robotics’, his second start-up in 2009, to train students and conduct research in robotics.