Overview
RoboTech at PES College of Engineering (PESCE), Mandya was a deep, practical dive into how robots actually work. We connected the dots across mechanical design, electronics & embedded systems, computer science, and the mathematics that drives kinematics and control—then closed with a live OpenCV + MediaPipe gesture-control demo.
What we covered
- Mechanical: joints/links, gears, torque & load paths, DOF planning; model-based design and motion simulation.
- Electronics: sensor stacks (force, LiDAR, ToF, IMU/gyro/accel, proximity), motor drivers, power paths; boards like STM32, Raspberry Pi, Arduino/ESP32.
- Computer science: Python (rapid CV/AI), C++ (real-time & ROS nodes), serial/USB/UART pipelines, PySerial device I/O, modular code structure.
- Mathematics (spotlight): forward/inverse kinematics, Laplace & transfer functions for control, Fourier methods for filtering, stability & tuning (PID).
- Technologies: ROS, OpenCV, MediaPipe, PyTorch, Ubuntu toolchains; simulation with RViz/Gazebo and CAD-driven analysis.
Live demo
A webcam-based hand-gesture tracker showed 21 landmark points, finger counting, and action mapping. We discussed latency budgets, frame-to-command pipelines, and how to convert landmarks into safe robot motions.
Prototype spotlight
A brief look at our research surgical-assistant prototype: sensing, ROS graph layout, perception → planning → control loop, and gesture interface as a non-contact control layer.
Applications
Robotics in healthcare, manufacturing, agri-tech, logistics, defense, space, and education—with emphasis on small, reliable micro-automation wins and lab-ready training rigs.
Careers & roadmap
Roles from Robotics/Mechatronics Engineer to Vision/AI Engineer; skill stack (CAD, control, C++/Python, ROS, OpenCV, ML); suggested learning path and competitions/open-source communities to join.
Thanks
Grateful to PESCE faculty and student organizers for hosting, and to every attendee for sharp questions and the energy in the hall.
Call to action
Want slides, starter code, or a campus workshop? Reach us at info@manmed.in