Over the few decades, various nations across the globe have been giving great priority to the development of Technology, especially Robotics and AI. They are developing robots that can be used for various purposes starting from basic household chores to military purposes as well. Boston Dynamics and SAISUN Robotics are two of the major companies in the world that have been focusing on automation and the creation of robots with advanced mobility, dexterity and intelligence.
In the context of Nepal, we also have several small groups/startups that have been focusing on the same i.e. automation and creation of robots to aid in various fields. The majority of these groups conduct their experiments and projects from scratch and with the limited resources that are available. Among them, Robotics Association of Nepal (RAN) stands at the top when it comes to Robotics and Automation in Nepal.
Robotics Association of Nepal (RAN) is the only national-level non-profit association that provides a unique platform for students and tech enthusiasts all over Nepal. RAN is established to promote, educate, explore, and compete in the area of robotics and automation. It aims to make the nation progress in the field of technology and solve the problems of the nation through the use of technology.
Since its creation in 2010, Robotics Association of Nepal (RAN) has been participating in developing the robotics and maker movement in Nepal. Its motto is: “local problems, local solutions and global impact”. RAN had started the journey to promote robotics in Nepal for the past 12 years and is successfully looking forward to creating a robotics industry in Nepal.
In the initial days, it was quite difficult to operate it as the idea was new and not many people were aware of robotics and AI. The association is non-profit so the allocation of funds necessary to run it was a major issue as well. However, they still managed to keep the organization running and carry out their activities.
Later on, the word about RAN spread across the nation and they gained a lot of exposure in recent years. As of now, they have thousands of tech enthusiasts and learners as part of the association working to develop the scenario of robotics and AI. The numbers are still increasing day by day as more people are being fascinated by the association and its idea of robotics.
RAN team is full of new ideas to develop robotics and new technologies in Nepal. The management at RAN is very diverse and engaging as it consists of people from all over the nation with diverse social backgrounds and life experiences. Since the majority of them are from ground level, they have faced real-life problems and know what they need to do to resolve them.
Robotics Association of Nepal (RAN) also focuses on the use of technology to make the lives of people easier and help the needy ones. In 2017/2018, they had planned to create the First Fab Lab for Professionals in Nepal, launch a drone incubation program for medical supplies and develop a disability café to help disabled people use new technologies.
Likewise, during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic when social distancing was a major concern, they had developed a transportation robot to help overcome this issue. At that crucial time, RAN came up with the idea of innovating a remotely accessible robot that could transport the necessary medical equipment throughout the hospitals. The project was successful and was very helpful during those times.
Because of that project, a lot of people got to experience the practical use of Robotics and many new people also got exposure to the automation sector and RAN.
In addition, each year, it organizes different programs such as Yantra, the festival of art, science and technology, and MissTech, a platform for women empowerment. Similarly, it has organized and supported different hackathons such as NASA Space App Challenge 2016, Robotech-2016, RAN Talk, Hardware Freedom Day, Hack The Quake, etc.
To date, it has organized five national robotics competitions, became the national winner of the ‘Coding Your Way To Opportunity Grant’ from Nepal, distributed 350 Solar stations through Light of Hope – a Solar distribution and Training, etc.
Basically, RAN uses Nepal Communitere for its space, its machines and its tools. Thereby, their R&D unit can freely design and prototype products in the maker space. They also use the space to provide their weekly workshops to various tech enthusiasts and learners. The workshops are mainly focused on topics such as the Internet of Things, Aerodynamics, Robotics, Renewable Resources and 3D Printing and Modelling.
Apart from the main organization, RAN has some other branch associations and projects as well. The following are some side projects that RAN has been focusing on for the past few years;
Robotics Association of Nepal-Farwest (RAN-Farwest):
Robotics Association of Nepal-Farwest (RAN-Farwest) is the branch of RAN located in Dhangadhi, Sudurpaschim province. RAN-Farwest is the only province-level non-profit association that provides an ideal platform for students and enthusiasts all over Nepal. RAN-Farwest is established to promote, educate, explore, and compete in the sector of robotics.
Ujjwal Education:
Ujjwal Education is a platform for the kids to explore and enhance their skills and creativity in the field of robotics, electronics, art, and technology. Ujjwal Education believes in enhancing the creativity of young kids in the near future. We are continuously working in the expansion of the scope of technology from kids to professionals through various programs each year.
Mission Oxygen Team:
Mission Oxygen Team is an organization established to install, operate, maintain and operate the Oxygen facilities all over Nepal. It was established with the association of three organizations; Robotics Association of Nepal (RAN), Biotechnology Society of Nepal (BSN) and Biomedical Engineering Foundation Nepal (BEFN), to combat challenges that arose during the time of 2nd and 3rd waves of the pandemic when the death toll was the highest. At that time, there was a shortage of oxygen, and crisis production was tight but the main problem lay in real-time oxygen mapping and management but MOT was able to resolve it through collective effort.
As of now, MOT has been able to provide 444 Oxygen Concentrators, 3939 Oxygen Cylinders, 881 ventilators, and 25 dialyzers to over 300+ hospitals all over the nation. And they are still working to improve the condition of health facilities and encourage the use of technologies and tools related to biotech.
To state more, Robotics Association of Nepal has completed over 19 community projects, organized 8 Yantra programs, participated 2 times in Robot Olympics and has trained over 5 lakhs students all over the nation. Because of their unique and practical approach, they have been appreciated by a lot of people nationally and internationally and are approached for developing various projects as well.
If you want to be a part of Robotics Association of Nepal (RAN) then you are free to do so. They often announce new memberships and vacancies each year so you can apply once they announce a new one. Or, you can contact the executives at RAN for an interview to work there.
To sum up, established in 2010, RAN is a non-profit organization working for the development of Robotics and Technology in Nepal and has been true to its motto. Right from its establishment, it has been continuously working in the field of robotics and electronics automation to enhance the lives of many. It has built a network of tech professionals, students, and enthusiasts in Nepal through RAN membership, RAN Representatives, and Internships.
At this rate, it won’t be long until Nepal is able to compete with other nations in the field of Technology and AI. Perhaps, for it, the government needs to acknowledge their importance and provide the necessary equipment and assistance for them to carry out their work more efficiently.
The following sources were taken as references for the creation of this article. If you want, you can learn more from these sources:
- Robotics Association of Nepal’s Official Site
- Robotics Association of Nepal (RAN) Calls For New Members
- Mission Oxygen Team’s Official Site
- Robotics Association of Nepal-Farwest’s Official Site
- Ujjwal Education
Best Regards!!
