Bangalore: Rohan Murthy, son of Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy has invested $1 million in an unique robotic astronomy project which can robotically help execute complex astronomical tasks.
Rohan who is investor in SKS Microfinance through his investment fund called Catamaran is now funding this Robo Astronomy Project which went unsponsored previously.
The project was initially started at California Institute of Technology, better known as Caltech and is now being hosted at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, where it will help a 2.1-meter telescope make new discoveries.
Caltech said that the research was facing the shortage of budget and they went to many companies for the fundings and even hired observers that were ready to work for free in the observatory’s 2.1-meter telescope before Murty peeked in and helped them financially in making their dream come true.
Dubbed as “world’s only robotic laser adaptive optics system” works basically on the concept of eliminating the blurring effect provided by the earth’s atmosphere and enables the researchers to view the solar system more clearly. The project was initially started by the Caltech Optical Observatories and the Inter-University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in Pune three years ago.
While commenting on the such a huge investment, Murthy said that robotics is the thing of future and the project can do wonders in the field of astronomy which eventually will benefit mankind.
(With Agency inputs)
