Robots of the Future Compete at BauRobotics

The BauRobotics Robot and Project Days organized by Bahçeşehir University hosted robots from many cities across Türkiye in different categories. While 150 robots competed in their own categories, young people interested in robot technology, from primary school students to university students, came together. Robots in five different categories, Free Project, Terrain, Mini Sumo, Line Follower and Drone, took part in the competition and showed off their performance.

"ROBOTS ARE SCORED BY THE JURY"

Stating that the event featured many projects in fields such as defense and weapons industries, with artificial intelligence at the forefront, BAU Mechatronics Engineering student Arda Dizdaroğlu said the event gave university and high school students from many parts of Türkiye the opportunity to present their projects: "Today at the BauRobotics event, our friends from many universities and technical high schools across Türkiye are exhibiting the robots they have built and also competing. Our competition categories are Mini Sumo, Line Follower, Drone, Terrain and Free Category. In Mini Sumo, opponents compete head-to-head. In Terrain and Line Follower, whoever finishes the track in the shortest time wins. In Drone, whoever pops the balloons in the shortest time wins. In the Free Category, technical projects developed for the benefit of the country are presented to our jury. Our jury scores them and determines the successful projects."

150 ROBOTS COMPETED

Also giving information about the competition process, Dizdaroğlu said: "This year we held our competition for the 5th time. 3,200 participants and 150 robots registered for the competition. We announced our two-day event on our website a few months in advance. We opened registration forms by category. We received applications through the completed registration forms. We examined the registrations one by one. Today we have the opportunity to exhibit the eligible projects here. In the projects I have examined, we really see how far Türkiye has advanced in technology. With this event, which has become a tradition, I believe we will see even more advanced versions of these projects."

"AN AI-SUPPORTED EYE FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED"

Şevket Sakinç, who developed the AI-Supported Eye for the Visually Impaired project, said: "The project I designed for the visually impaired uses supervised learning algorithms of artificial intelligence. The project also has features such as identifying people, decoding matrix-based codes and recognizing people registered in the system."

Also explaining how the system he developed works, Sakinç said: "When matrix-based codes are generated and QR codes are attached to public transport vehicles, signs and stops, the system detects the code, decodes its content and tells it to the user by voice. The system can also be applied to clothes. Thanks to the QR codes on clothes, the system can tell the user the color, price and size of the garment. This allows the user to shop alone. The system can also be applied in supermarkets. With the codes developed, the user can recognize aisles and products. This way, they no longer need a second person."

"IT CAN BE CHARGED WITH SOLAR ENERGY!"

Also noting that the system is charged with solar energy, Sakinç said: "The system consists of a few circuits that allow it to be charged. Since the kit is the size of a phone, it can be carried in a pocket or in the hand. It can also be mounted on the canes used by the visually impaired. The project is lightweight and compatible with renewable technology, meaning it can even be charged with solar energy. It can charge even while the system is running. Our project is designed so as not to tire the visually impaired at all, so it is not difficult to use. It also supports global cameras. When any camera in the world is connected to the kit, the system detects it as a camera directly, without a driver, and starts working. This reduces the cost very significantly."

Stating that the system also has a very important security function, Sakinç said: "It is difficult for the visually impaired to report people who threaten them to the police, because they cannot identify these people by their voice. At this stage, we built a system on our kit. When activated, this system instantly takes a photo of the suspicious person and records the date and time. When the person goes to a security officer, the photo of the suspect can be accessed by connecting the kit to a screen. In this way, the safety of visually impaired individuals is kept under control."

A CARRIER ROBOT FOR DISABLED ANIMALS

Nisanur Çelik, a preparatory class student at Eskişehir Bahçeşehir College Science and Technology High School, who developed a self-balancing carrier robot for disabled animals without front or hind legs together with her 14-member team, said: "At our school we take software and coding classes. While learning these, we developed a project for our disabled animals. In our project, we developed an autonomous robot for animals without front or hind legs. With our robot, we hope to give our animals a more comfortable and active life."

Also stating that the project can balance itself, unlike manual wheels, Çelik said: "Animals using our robot can run and lead an active life. Our robot can return to its original position. So if our robot hits something or encounters an external obstacle, it returns to its original state, protecting both the animal and itself."

Also explaining the main reason for developing the project, Çelik said: "The reason we developed this project is our dog Zıpzıp, whom we adopted from a shelter and who has a pinched nerve in her hind legs. She cannot move comfortably because of the problem with her hind legs. We developed the project for animals like her. We entered the competition as a team of 14. Our robot provides a comfortable life for disabled animals. We want them to take part in life too. We think they also have a place in life. With this project we are taking the first step. We want to develop our project and reach larger audiences."