There was a time when robots seemed like a dream. The idea was welcomed with scepticism in the early 2000s, while the 2010s ushered in paranoia. While we didn’t see any human-shaped robots on the streets, robotic innovations soon became an integral part of our daily lives.
In 2025, the Kerala government also made it mandatory for class 10th students to learn the basics of robotics in school.
Robots entered human lives slowly, from the circular floor-cleaning buddies to assisting advanced surgeries in hospitals. However, we never saw a robot as capable as the ones shown in the movies.
Fast forward to 2026, things are changing. Kerala is now witnessing its true ‘Enthiran moment’.
From the ‘Robo Maveli’, which danced around in a mundu in a mall in Kochi, to Pachu, which took part in the Kovalam Marathon, robots are here.
With airports deploying robot assistants and restaurants experimenting with them for services, these machines are slowly becoming an integral part of our lives. As TNIE talks to robotics experts in the state, they say that the era of ‘Android Kunjappans’ is not that far off.
It began with the sheer wonder of seeing a running robot in China for the organisers of the Kovalam Marathon to come up with the concept of Pachu.
“We were planning to integrate a lot of technology in this year’s marathon. That is when we read about robots running marathons in China. It felt historic. We wanted to do the same here in Keralam,” says Mathew Jacob, chair of Young Indians Thiruvananthapuram chapter.
The team began its search, and identified a multipurpose robot with a Calicut-based agency. “With their help, we worked on making the robot learn to run a marathon,” Mathew says.
While buying robots like Pachu costs over `40 lakh, the organisers rented it for around `1 lakh through sponsors. By next year’s marathon, they say they are planning to bring in more robots. “Why not conduct a marathon solely for robots in Kerala?” Mathew wonders.
Before humanoids like Pachu, Kerala had Iris.
Two years ago, KTCT Higher Secondary School in Thiruvananthapuram made headlines by implementing India’s first robot teacher. According to principal Meera M N, it serves as a teaching assistant for students.
“For example, when a teacher finishes a biology chapter, they often take the students to Iris. Children ask all their doubts to the robot. The robot helps students prepare for quiz competitions. It is also a good storyteller for primary school children. The young children are also extremely curious about the talking robot dressed as a teacher,” she says.
Rashid Karimpanackal, co-founder of Genrobotics that innovated the manhole-cleaning robot ‘Bandicoot’, says appearances of humanoids are slowly creating awareness and acceptance for human-shaped machines among the general public.
“The current public appearances of robots we see are more of a marketing technique by tech companies. However, the impact is that it is evoking curiosity among the common people, creating an awareness of human-shaped robots and making them more accepted in the eyes of the public,” he says.
With artificial general intelligence (AGI) and beyond, technological efficiency is rapidly progressing. “Slowly, we will start seeing humanoids become common in the state,” says Rashid.
According to him, hazardous jobs like sanitation work will first adopt humanoids. The second is the healthcare industry, especially support for elderly care, he says. “Like Android Kunjappan, a humanoid who can do anything for the ageing population of Kerala. For example, caring for bedridden patients, delivering food and medicines, and nursing.”
Public-facing services like hotels, airports, and government offices will also use robots to make services more physically efficient, he adds. “In disaster response, such as fire or a landslide, we have already started using robots for assistance,” he explains.
According to Varun G, project director at Kerala Startup Mission, robots will be a common sight in Keralam in a decade.
Research and innovation in robotics became prevalent in Kerala only recently, he says. The primary challenge was developing the intelligence of the human-shaped robots. Now, that can be solved with developments in AI. Imagine a humanoid with the capabilities of ChatGPT, wonders Varun.
“Malayalis are usually interested in new technology. As soon as the humanoids become available, we can expect quick adoption as well, provided it is economically viable,” he adds.
Most of the humanoids we see today in exhibitions and events are imported from other countries. However, innovation in the state is increasing day by day, and more companies are involved in robotics.
Genrobotics alone has gone past exoskeleton-based robots to semi-humanoids that function on command, and is now developing fully intelligent humanoid machines. Other companies like iHub, Chuvarbot, Shasthra Robotics and Asimov are also pioneering the innovations here.
The only major hurdle is the huge expense, which, experts say, will be slowly resolved in the coming years.
Akhil K Haridas, the COO of iHub, clarifies, “Currently, we depend on imports for raw materials. For example, the chips are mostly made by companies like Nvidia now. Still, I can say that we have made great progress in the application level of robotics here,” he says.
iHub, set up in 2021 by Athil Krishna, Akhil K Haridas, and Sarath S, has already put out a service segment semi-humanoid ‘Tara’, which is an autonomous bot that can converse with you in 150 different languages. Its ‘Dhaksha’ , which can perform physical functions as humans, is used for industrial purposes.
These Kerala start-ups also say that robotics in India has entred the defence sector, with companies like Genrobotics and iHub getting to work with the forces.
He also points to recent events like China deploying humanoids in the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and unmanned mechanisms being deployed by the military in West Asia during the present war.
“While different kinds of robots can be used for defence purposes, only humanoids have legs that can go to any terrain and perform like humans. That’s why they are preferred most; it is the ultimate goal. For defence sector, we cannot import foreign-built robots, and Indian companies are working on it,” Akhil adds.
The possibilities are endless, say experts. Humanoids will definitely be part of domestic life, they say. They can even become part of households, doing chores like washing clothes, cleaning, and even gardening and farming.
However, while dreaming of a future with humanoids, the tech community is also mindful of the problems.
“It will create an issue in the service sector, where basic-level jobs could slowly be done using humanoids rather than humans. That we will have to wait and watch,” says Varun.
At the same time, Rashid points out some ethical concerns of AI.
“One is the issue of security and policing. This will also have to be contained in some manner while we think about a future with humanoids,” he adds.
However, we will not have to wait too long to see robots on the streets of India, they say.
Like robo-dogs and robo-elephants, the current generation is ready to see and use humanoids.
We will soon reach the reality that those ‘futuristic’ movies tried to depict, smiles Akhil. “But the basic principle of robotics is that ultimate control will be with humans,” he signs off.