VNIT to have robotics research centre with ABB

NAGPUR:After Nagpur University, now Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT) would be entering into the robotics field. It will soon be inking pact with Switzerland-based robotic technology bellwether, Asea Brown Boveri (ABB), for a state-of-the-art research laboratory on its premises.
VNIT Board of Governors (BOG) chairman Vishram Jamdar told the media that their memorandum of understanding (MOU) was almost ready and even ABB had sent their draft in this regard.“Shortly, we would sign the pact for research centre, which would probably first of its kind in Central India,” he said.
Robotics centre and research lab related to it was actually a brainchild of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis who had invited NU vice chancellor Siddarthvinayaka Kane and Jamdar to Mumbai for discussions on the subject. Later Bollywood star Vivek Oberoi, who is financing the NU’s centre, visited VNIT and NU on June 1 for completing the formalities. VNIT proposed to commence MTech and PhD programmes in robotics research, in collaboration with ABB and had drafted the MOU after interest shown by ABB delegation.
“The MOU objectifies the exchange of faculty, internship opportunities at ABB for our students, and collaborative projects in ABB’s interest for industrial applications. If everything goes according to the plan, an ‘advanced centre of robotics research’ will be set up in VNIT and ABB will decide the course structure and content,” said Jamdar had earlier told TOI.