This teenage engineer built the world’s SMALLEST ROBOT ARM!
A 17-year-old student from Nagpur, Maharashtra, India, claimed his SECOND world record title by creating the world’s smallest robot arm!
Hiten Dharpure is a super smart and ambitious kid who loves micro-engineering – building super tiny, super useful things.
He told us: “I have a personal goal to challenge myself by setting a new global innovation record every year.”
Setting goals makes life fun and interesting!
Hiten’s robot is just slightly bigger than a paperclip at 39.25 mm (1.54 in)!
He explained: “I started by designing the mechanical skeleton from scratch using advanced CAD software. Once the digital simulation looked sound, I 3D-printed the housing and baseplates.
“On the electronic side, I wrote the logic and synchronization code in C/C++ for Arduino microcontrollers to ensure the PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control module could accurately drive the arm's movements.”
If you don’t understand everything he said, don’t worry - some of these terms are pretty complicated, even for grown-ups! What matters is getting a sense of how engineers solve big problems.
Hiten did all this from his home, where he lives with his mum and dad.
“They are my biggest supporters and have always encouraged my curiosity, even when my room turned into a cluttered micro-engineering lab,” he joked.
His design is an amazing personal achievement for him but could also be really useful for several industries. For example, he explained that in the medical field, tiny creations like his may become useful during surgeries!
So, what was his first record?
It’s for the smallest weather station, which he broke a year earlier and measured 74 mm (2.91 in) long, 44 mm (1.73 in) wide, and 60 mm (2.36 in) high – small enough to fit in the palm of your hand!
Looks pretty cool, right?
Hiten is determined to keep going with more innovative – and record-breaking – creations, and we can’t wait to see what he gets up to next!
He said: “I hope this inspires other young people in STEM to realize that with patience and accessible technology, they can innovate on a global scale.”
Do you agree?
Here you can see him showing his record certificates to Shri Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways for the Government of India. WOW!
Congratulations, Hiten, you are Officially Amazing.