Rescue Robot KMITNB Win again 555

Students from King Mongkut's Institute of Technology North Bangkok pose proudly with their award winning search-and-rescue robot. The team won first prize at the World Robocup Rescue Championship 2007 at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta yesterday. They also won the competition last year.

A Thai team which designed and built a rescue robot has won the World Robocup Rescue Championships, held in Atlanta, Georgia, the United States, for the second year in a row. The five-member team from King Mongkut's Institute of Technology North Bangkok (KMITNB) was named ''Independent'' and was sponsored by the Siam Cement Group. It beat 17 rival teams from eight countries, including world-class robot maker teams from the US, Germany and Japan, which won the second prize. The third and fourth prizes also went to Thais, to a team from the Thai Chamber of Commerce University and the ''Ideal'' team from KMITNB. Last year, the Independent team won the top award at the Robocup Rescue 2006 Championships in Bremen, Germany. ''Great team work and our strong ambition are the keys to the success,'' said Jackrit Suthakorn, president of the Thai Robotics Society and the team's adviser. ''We fixed weaknesses of the robot found in previous competitions to make it as perfect as possible,'' he said. The rescue robot, which comprises two robotic machines—Independent I and II—was designed to communicate with controllers through wireless signals. It is also equipped with a laser scanner, which can identify the location of victims in emergency situations and check whether they are still alive. The robot can avoid barriers and clear obstacles in order to reach victims quickly. Mr Jackrit explained that all robots taking part in the event must meet the standards which are applied to all American rescue robots sold on the market. ''In terms of speed and accuracy, Independent is better than the standard. The robot's high capacity will later be set as the new standard for rescue robots,'' he added. Pinit Keunsuwong, the team leader, said his team was under pressure because there were many tough rivals from ''hi-tech'' countries at the competition. ''However, we won at last and that's great,'' Mr Pinit said in a statement sent from Atlanta. ''We would like to present this prestigious award to His Majesty the King to celebrate his 80th birthday.'' Mr Pinit said the team's victory helped promote Thailand's reputation. ''We hope that our success will be the beginning of the development of a robotic industry in our country,'' he said. The outstanding performances of the Independent robot has prompted the Defence Ministry to ask the KMITNB to produce rescue robots for military rescue operations, said Mr Jackrit. In the next step, he said, the robotics community would push for the creation of robots for use in the home.