IPL 2025 Robo-Dog explained: Is it a robot? A dog? A robotic dog? You would have seen it by now before the start of IPL matches over the past week. A mechanical creature that stands between the two captains before they take the field for the start of play. A fan poll suggested it should be called ‘Champak’, and not ‘Chulbul’, ‘Buddy’ or ‘Jaffa’.
The IPL was envisaged based on American sports, without the concept of promotion and relegation that are so central to football (soccer) in most parts of the world. But when it comes to ‘Champak’, the league is blazing a trail.
Not every major sporting league in the world embraces unmanned or cutting-edge technology. In the USA, the National Football League (NFL) has been lobbying Congress to stop drone flights over stadiums. The league wants to be allowed to bring down such machines after an estimated 2,845 incursions during the 2023 season.
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So, what is Champak, and what does it do?
• This robotic dog can carry a payload of around 14kg, and has been mounted with multiple cameras that provide a ‘dog’s eye view’ of the field of play. It is also equipped with several censors that can capture player-performance data and weather conditions.
• When introduced to the thousands inside the stadium and millions watching on TV and OTT platforms before the Delhi Capitals-Mumbai Indians match on April 13, the robo-dog showed off its agility, speed and responses to voice commands. It even managed to draw a heart shape with its front paws.
• It can auto-charge, navigate its way past obstacles and even pick itself up if it falls.
• It could eventually be part of the half-time entertainment and fan interactions, and is technologically sophisticated enough to upload images and videos on to social media platforms by itself.
• Eventually, it could even be used to ferry drinks on to the field of play, and also check player-health data given that most athletes now wear smart watches or other sensors that detect the most important readings like heart rate, pulse and blood oxygenation.
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