Kerala teens build robot to save palm-leaf manuscripts, head to Puerto Rico
Two 14-year-old students from Kerala, India, have developed a robotic system called Smriti 1.0 to clean and digitize fragile palm-leaf manuscripts. Their innovation earned them a spot at the World Robot Olympiad International Championship in Puerto Rico.
Why it matters
This project bridges the gap between ancient historical preservation and modern AI technology, demonstrating the potential for youth-led innovation in cultural heritage.
Two 14-year-old girls from Kerala have built a robotic system that cleans, preserves and digitises fragile palm-leaf manuscripts and their project has now taken them from a school robotics competition in Hyderabad to the international stage in Puerto Rico. Cathlin Marie Jeesan of Holy Grace Academy in Mala and Navika D. Nair of Naipunnya Public School in Kakkanad have developed Smriti 1.0. It is a system that combines robotics, controlled drying and artificial intelligence to handle old palm leaves and convert their writing into digital text.The students, competing as Team UWR Synergy, won first place in the Future Innovators-Senior category at the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) India Nationals in Hyderabad, held from August 26 to 28.
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