CHENNAI: Many anthropologists and sociologists like Leslie White, Lewis Morgan and Gerard Lenski have said that technological progress has defined the evolution of human civilisation. It is also a product of the industrial revolution which is known to have desensitised us towards environmental and ecological stability.
The need of the hour is to establish a technology that would include environmental safety even as it evolves. CommuniTree and SP Robotics came together on Saturday at Anna University, Guindy, to display the results of amalgamating technology and environmental conservation by creating a micro forest using robots assembled by children, from around Tamil Nadu.
Three hundred and twenty-five children, and their parents had gathered to set the world record of planting trees using the most number of robots. “Each one of you here is part of a much bigger initiative to revive Earth’s ecosystems. What do you think the world would look like if humans didn’t exist?
There would be trees everywhere, growing close to each other. The technique we will be using today is to plant our 300 trees close to each other so that they grow taller trying to reach for sunlight,” said Hafiz Khan, founder of CommuniTree, while addressing the event. “How many of you like butterflies, squirrels, birds and trees?” he asked.
"So let’s get our forests back," he added. His words were met with a loud “Oh yes!” From three hundred voices of children between classes seven to nine. SP Robotics set up around 26 labs in Puducherry, Kancheepuram, Madurai and various parts of Chennai to teach kids the basics of robotics. Each child was given a blue kit with tools they will require to build their robots. The robot is fitted with a Bluetooth chip which enables it to be controlled using a regular smartphone. A pincer-shaped claw is used to plant the saplings.
The battery-operated machine is built with four wheels which allows it to move as it plants. “It is the simplest thing to assemble,” said Ryan Paul, a class eight student from Chennai. During the final moment, children carried their finished robots to the piece of land picked to be converted into a micro forest. They were given guava, Ashoka and neem saplings to plant. Three hundred robots rolled across the property and planted the saplings in biodegradable pouches. The watering robots then took their places and dispensed water on each plant. CommuniTree will be taking up the initiative to maintain and develop the forest for the next three years. “It is the first step towards improvement and we are already empowering the younger generations to think about the environment,” said Sagarika Moopanar, a parent.
‘Tech’ing green steps
“CommuniTree and SP Robotics have worked together earlier as well. We are trying to seep environmental concern among future generations that will take over the technological sector of tomorrow. If they can factor in environmental impact into their creations, we may see a slightly better future for our children,” said Hafiz.
Igniting young minds
The children were called in three batches to assemble their robots. One team of 37 children sat in the corner observing all the others build their bots. They held a different kind of robot in their hands. “Our robots will be used to water the saplings as they grow,” said Anadhi Udayar, a class seven student from Chennai