Robot creator at 5, this child prodigy from Kerala is world's youngest TEDx speaker

Tuesday January 16, 2018 , 2 min Read

Saarang Sumesh's parents understood that he was different when he was just a four-year-old boy. That is why, when most children his age were getting toys as gifts, his parents gave him a robot-making kit. Five years later, the child prodigy has many innovations to his credit including a robot. He is also the youngest TEDx speaker in the world.

Saarang is a Class III student from Cochin, Kerala, where he stays with his mother. His father, who is an electrical engineer is working in United States, is Saarang's inspiration.

“My role model is my father who imbibed a scientific spirit in me. I also love our former President APJ Abdul Kalam who always used to ask youngsters to dream big. I love experimenting with new devices. I feel innovations should help ease lives of human beings,” he told in an interview with Hindustan Times.

Saarang's inventions started with designing a cleaning robot at the age of five, as he wanted to help his mother who toiled away with a mop every day. He then went on to develop robotic tricycle, walking stick for the visually challenged, robotic hand, digital clock and smart car seat belt, among other things.

In 2016's Maker Faire festival of invention that took place in the Silicon Valley, the child prodigy participated as the youngest maker in the conference. Apart from that, he has received the Rajeev Circle Fellowship and is also busy travelling around the world giving lectures and displaying his designs. Talking about his passion in an interview with The Education Post, he said,

I want to become a scientist and spread robotics awareness in India.