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Business News/ Mint-lounge / Features/  Asimov Robotics | The automaton factory
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Asimov Robotics | The automaton factory

Building robots for defence, manufacturing, agriculture and entertainment

The founder of ASIMOV, Jayakrishnan T., with a model of one of the robots that the company designs and builds. Photo: Naseef Gafoor/MintPremium
The founder of ASIMOV, Jayakrishnan T., with a model of one of the robots that the company designs and builds. Photo: Naseef Gafoor/Mint

Past life

After several years of office work in the IT sector, Jayakrishnan T. decided he would take a risk and shift to robotics, a field that had long entranced him. During a year working for Tata Elxsi, the automotive electronics arm of the conglomerate, he reached out to a slew of robotics companies globally. Two responded: One reported no opportunities and another, Energid Technologies, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US, offered a position to sell their robotics control software in India. Jayakrishnan, 40, initially rejected the marketing offer, but he soon changed his mind. “If I missed this opportunity," he recalls thinking, “there may not be any other chance to get into this technology."

Eureka moment

The deal he cut with Energid allowed the company to support his own research as director of the Indian subsidiary, based in Kochi. In 2006, the company began selling robotic arms and software packages to hundreds of clients globally, including major defence contractors like Lockheed Martin. Jayakrishnan realized the potential of the products, and the huge demand from that high-spending industry.

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Genesis

Out of the gates with ASIMOV, Jayakrishnan had the assistance of his relationships with Energid as well as his father, a science teacher in the Kerala public school system. But the big boost came from his acceptance into Startup Village, the Kochi technology incubator begun by Sanjay Vijayakumar. Through the programme, funded in part by the Kerala government, Jayakrishnan has met key politicians. He’s also been introduced to investors, here and abroad.

More importantly, Jayakrishnan says, the incubator is working on securing the start-up space, sorely needed as the labour-intensive team of eight currently operates out of a converted home.

Reality check

ASIMOV is working on a line of robotics and software built for a swathe of sectors, like defence, manufacturing, agriculture, security and entertainment. Selling to each industry, they soon discovered, brings scores of roadblocks. Robotics comes with plenty of red tape—a 34% customs duty is slapped on spare parts. Domestic businesses, Jayakrishnan notes, are also much more reticent about hi-tech products like theirs than companies elsewhere. “We have to educate our customer about the latest trends and advancements in this domain," he says.

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Currently, the team continues to provide after-sales support for the Energid products sold throughout India, a source of income that helps keep their research afloat.

“As a last choice," Jayakrishnan says, “we even have offers from other countries to transplant this research to their soil. If nothing works out, we may have to consider that."

If sales fail to pan out, though, the ASIMOV team doesn’t plan on abandoning the core business. “We don’t have any plans to get rid of robotics—even in our wildest dreams."

Secret sauce

Jayakrishnan does not expect domestic demand for innovative robotics to waver, particularly for spare parts. He believes ASIMOV, with his unique experience in the field, is best positioned to grab customers, with little competition within India. He also considers the particular business model of robotics that, like aeronautics, has few competitors and can demand high prices, a latent benefit, especially for potential investors. “We cannot expect a quick return from R&D," he says. But once the return arrives, “it will give you the best profit margin."

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Published: 15 Jun 2013, 12:08 AM IST
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