Aayaan Raj Swan, a Class XII science student of Auckland House School for Boys, has received national recognition for his innovative “Robot Nurse” concept under the INSPIRE Awards – MANAK programme of the Department of Science and Technology. The project has also been awarded a grant of ₹10,000 to support further development of the prototype.
The idea emerged during his school’s annual exhibition when Aayaan noticed a lack of project ideas in the computer department. Inspired by automated service robots used in busy restaurants in countries such as China and Japan, he began exploring how similar technology could assist overburdened medical staff in hospitals.
His Robot Nurse is designed to support doctors and nurses by performing routine tasks. The prototype is equipped with an infrared sensor to read prescriptions and verify doctor signatures for accurate medicine delivery. It moves on tracked motors and includes a claw mechanism to retrieve objects. The robot can also issue alerts when obstacles block its path and can be programmed to guide patients, retrieve items, assist with cleaning tasks, and provide basic support.
Developing the robot required extensive programming and experimentation. After trying object recognition and mapping techniques, Aayaan adopted an object-localization approach due to hardware limitations. Despite limited time and resources, he successfully built a working prototype.
Aayaan has previously worked on other robotics projects, including a colour-following robotic car, and has participated in competitions such as Technoxian, where he competed in a robot sumo battle event with a classmate.
Although his project qualified for the State Level Exhibition and Project Competition (SLEPC), he has chosen to focus on his Class XII studies this year. He plans to pursue higher education in Computer Science or Mechanical Engineering, fields aligned with his interest in robotics.
Encouraging other students, Aayaan says innovation comes from curiosity, experimentation, and learning from failure rather than relying on advanced resources.
Nurturing Creativity – Keekli Charitable Trust, Shimla
