Bionic Man

A job at Google or Adobe is a dream come true for many budding Indian engineers, but Pulkit Gaur decided to pass up on offers from these companies to set up his own research and innovation firm. A2004 gold medallist from Government Engineering College, Jodhpur, Gaur quit his job as a technical manager with Meditab Software in Ahmedabad to launch Gridbots Technologies in 2007. He has since supervised the development of over 50 robots that have applications in a diverse range of fields from defence to home-making. Gridbots’ creations such as the GSR-1 robot, India’s first telepresence robot—a robot fixed with a camera that can be operated from a remote location—can be used at home as well as at the work place. “i am getting paid for doing what I really enjoy. We want to be a pioneer in developing specific task-based robots and also become a permanent player in the field of robotics,” says Gaur, who became a TED fellow, a platform for young innovators from around the world to interact and exchange ideas, in 2009.

Country First

Gridbots’ clients includes the Ministry of Home Affairs, Indian Navy, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, and NTPC.

Role Models

Apple co-founders Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs. The venture has grown faster than expected. Both Government and industry are realising the value of robotics now.”

Chintan kella, Research Associate, iim-ahmedabad