Robots could well be entering your homes, thanks to the efforts of companies like Gridbots, which has developed robots that can act like buddies—helping and guarding us in a simple, yet effective, manner.

Once perceived as a niche product, robots have already begun to be accepted as machines that could become a part of our daily routine. As the personal robot market expands, new players are emerging with innovative robots, trying to shake the hegemony that countries like the US, Korea and Japan enjoy in this segment. One of these is Gridbots, an Ahmedabad-based start-up, that claims to have developed India’s first indigenous home robot, as well as the country’s first underwater tank cleaning and inspection robot.

The aim is to bring a little change into everyone’s life through technology that is innovative, and with products that are altogether different, claims Pulkit Gaur, CEO, Gridbots. The company is looking to make robotics a part of day-to-day life by catering to the needs of corporate as well as household users.

All about smart machines

With a target market comprising consumer electronics, home automation and security/surveillance, Gridbots has developed intelligent products that Gaur claims are unique in the market.

The company feels that since their products are designed smart and can think by themselves, making them more responsive and energy efficient, it gives these products an edge over the competition. Their capacity to connect, share critical data and exert extended control are features that make these machines more accessible, allowing consumers to keep tabs on them, if needed.

Speaking about the technology behind Gridbots’ products, Gaur explains that the company’s focus has always been on bringing something to the consumers that was intelligent but non-traditional. Gaur and his team realised that most of the products in the market were lacking in terms of intelligence. With responses being pre-programmed, these were simple ‘press and go’ systems. This lacuna gave his teammates the idea of coming out with something that was not hard wired and had the ability to evolve.

“Many of the products and technologies that we use in our products are state-of-the-art and have been in labs for all these years—we have tried to bring such technology to our consumers by encapsulating them with easy-to-use interfaces. Grid-Genesis is the design architecture behind the robots, surveillance systems and RF-enabled automation systems that makes our products dynamic and responsive in behaviour,” says Gaur.

Fuelling R&D, while checking costs

The firm relies heavily on its research and development department to foster a culture of growth and innovation, and stay ahead of the competition. About 80 per cent of the resources and nearly 90 per cent of the company’s total expenditure is devoted to R&D alone.

“We will continue to strengthen our R&D efforts as we believe it is the key to any company’s success. We have assigned a major chunk of our revenues to be spent on R&D, which I believe will increase in the coming years,” reveals Gaur.

As a strong and efficient team plays an important role in delivering fruitful results, the company is constantly on the look out for research scholars who can bolster its R&D initiatives with a focus on AI (artificial intelligence), machine vision and robotics.