CoSys is an open source robotics initiative that aims to disseminate recent advances in robotics to youth in Nepal while addressing some of the pressing concerns of people with disabilities, especially children and youth with motor and/or cognitive deficits.
Formulated as #projectCoSys, it was conceived by Bikram Adhikari (University of British Columbia; Alumni Robotics Club, Pulchowk Central Campus (PCC)), Ramesh Chaudhary (Robotics Club, PCC), Dr Pooja Viswanathan (University of Toronto), Prof Manoj Karkee (Washington State University) and Prof Alan Mackworth (University of British Columbia) in June 2014. This project aims to empower kids and youths with motor and/or cognitive deficits to help them learn and grow well in place.
Robotics, at the nexus of the industrial and information age, is proving to be an ideal learning. Consequently, robotics platforms are used as tools to encourage young programmers to acquire and use technical skills in order to solve real-world problems. Robotics Club, PCC has been the epicenter for new innovation in robotics since 2001, and #projectCoSys stems from its technical foundation.
Between February 1, 2015 and May 1, 2015, #projectCoSys is conducting a usability study to identify challenges faced by children and youths with disabilities in Nepal. They are developing an intelligent powered wheelchair (PWC) platform from a salvaged PWC at the Robotics Club. They are working in collaboration with SOS Children's Village, Jorpati and other potential organizations for people with disabilities to set themselves a suitable challenge ("a CoSys Challenge") to continue their work in developing an intelligent PWC for children and youth to yield them a better quality of living so that they could find success in their career as they grow.
The aim of CoSys is to bring recent advances in robotics within the reach of youth in Nepal and also to use robotics as a tool to empower children and youths with disabilities. The robotic platform is leading them to a learning platform for youth to develop computer software and mobile applications for robots. The robotic platform is a collaborative platform for students at the University of British Columbia and the Institute of Engineering, PCC (and its affiliated colleges) to work on remote collaborative robotics research.
The objective of CoSys is to build a hardware/software platform for research and development of a remote tele-presence assistive robot in Nepal and also to identify specific needs of the children and youth with disabilities in Nepal to improve their productivity and growth through a usability study as well as interaction sessions with stakeholders. These needs will set the foundation for a "CoSys Challenge" that we aim to solve during our next phase of the project.
They are working in collaboration with synergistic team of young entrepreneurs in Nepal, strong infrastructural support from their academic partners, the expertise of international advisory team of established roboticists. They have also been working in close collaboration with SOS Children's Village Nepal towards addressing concerns of children with disabilities at their Jorpati branch.
For more information on #projectCoSys, log on to projectcosys.org.
The writer is an undergraduate student of Industrial Engineering at the Institute of Engineering, Thapathali Campus.
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