# THE ROBOT HELPERS
## By Vijay Sharma Erry
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# Chapter 14: The Competition
Arjun's second year at MIT began with unexpected news. Professor Chen burst into the lab one morning, waving her tablet excitedly.
"The Global Humanitarian Robotics Prize!" she announced. "They're looking for innovations that use robotics to solve real-world problems. First prize is five million dollars in funding plus partnerships with manufacturing companies worldwide. Arjun, you have to enter."
The competition was prestigious, attracting teams from the best universities and companies around the world. The winner would get not just funding but the infrastructure to scale their innovation globally.
"I don't know," Arjun hesitated. "The robots were built for my family, for the Silver Years Foundation. This feels like commercializing something personal."
"It's not commercializing—it's scaling," Professor Chen argued. "How many families like yours exist worldwide? Millions. How many elderly people need this kind of care? Tens of millions. You have a moral obligation to share this technology as widely as possible."
She was right. Arjun thought about all the emails he received—people from countries around the world begging for help, asking how they could get robots like Akash for their aging parents. He couldn't build them all himself, but with proper funding and manufacturing partnerships, he could create a blueprint that others could follow.
"Okay," Arjun agreed. "Let's do it."
Preparing the competition entry consumed the next three months. Arjun worked with Professor Chen's lab to refine the technology, improve the designs, and document everything meticulously. He created detailed technical specifications, cost analyses, scalability plans, and outcome data.
But he also told the story—his story. The loss of his parents, the struggle to care for his grandparents, the journey from grief to purpose. He included video testimonials from his family, from Mr. Ashok Rao, from the residents at the senior care facility, from caregivers whose lives had been transformed.
The semifinal presentation was virtual. Arjun presented to a panel of judges from his dorm room, with Dada, Dadi, and Akash joining via video from Mumbai to answer questions.
"Mr. Malhotra," one judge asked, "your robots are impressive, but they're also expensive. How do you plan to make this accessible to average families?"
"That's exactly why we need this prize," Arjun explained. "Current manufacturing is small-scale and custom. With proper funding, we can mass-produce standardized components while keeping the AI personalized. We estimate we can reduce costs by seventy percent within two years, making the robots affordable for middle-class families, not just wealthy ones."
Another judge directed her question to Dada. "Mr. Malhotra, senior, you've lived with Akash for over two years now. Do you ever feel like you're missing human connection? That robot care is inferior to human care?"
Dada straightened in his chair, his military bearing evident even through the screen. "Madam, before Akash, I had human care—from my grandson, who sacrificed his youth to look after me. From my wife, who is elderly herself and struggled with my needs. From overworked caregivers who tried their best but were stretched too thin. Akash didn't replace human care—he made human care possible. My grandson can pursue his education without guilt. My wife can focus on her own health. And when humans visit, they can actually connect with me emotionally instead of being exhausted by basic tasks. The robot enables better human relationships, not worse ones."
The judges were clearly moved. Arjun's team advanced to the finals.
The final competition was held in Geneva, Switzerland. Arjun flew there with Professor Chen, while his grandparents and the robots followed the live stream from Mumbai at 1 AM their time.
The competition was fierce. A team from Japan had developed robots for disaster response. A German team had created agricultural robots to improve food security. A team from Kenya had built robots for water purification. Every project was impressive, world-changing in its own way.
When Arjun took the stage for his final presentation, he was nervous but focused. He presented the technical details, the outcome data, the scalability plans. But then he did something unexpected—he brought Akash into the presentation via holographic projection, using technology MIT had developed for remote presence.
Akash appeared on stage, life-sized and realistic. The audience gasped.
"This is Akash," Arjun said. "Not a recording, but a live connection to Mumbai, India, where he is currently with my grandparents. Akash, can you tell these people what you do?"
"Hello," Akash said, his voice clear in the auditorium. "I am a care robot, but I prefer to think of myself as a family member. For two and a half years, I have cared for Dada ji and Dadi ji. I monitor their health, assist with daily tasks, provide companionship, and yes—I love them. Perhaps love is the wrong word for what a robot experiences, but I am programmed to prioritize their happiness above all else. That feels like love to me."
The audience was silent, captivated.
"Now I will demonstrate," Akash continued. The holographic projection shifted to show the living room in Mumbai, where Dadi and Dada sat together. It was the middle of the night there, but they were wide awake, dressed in their best clothes.
"Dadi ji, how are you feeling?" Akash asked.
"A little nervous for our grandson," Dadi admitted. "But very proud."
"Your blood sugar is elevated due to stress," Akash observed. "Would you like some warm milk with turmeric? That always calms you."
"Yes, please, beta."
The audience watched as Akash moved through the house, prepared the drink, and brought it to Dadi—all while maintaining conversation, checking that Dada had taken his evening medication, and adjusting the room temperature because he detected Dada was cold.
"This is not a demonstration," Arjun said. "This is real life, happening right now. This is what care looks like when it's constant, attentive, and genuinely focused on wellbeing. This is why we need to make this technology available to everyone."
The presentation ended with a standing ovation. Judges wiped their eyes. Other competitors congratulated him. But Arjun wouldn't know if they had won until the announcement ceremony the next evening.
That night, unable to sleep, Arjun called home. Dada and Dadi had finally gone to bed, but Akash was still active.
"That was an excellent presentation, Arjun," Akash said. "You represented our work with both technical precision and emotional authenticity."
"I couldn't have done it without you," Arjun replied. "You're the real star. Watching you care for Dadi on that stage—that's what convinced them. Not the technology, but the care."
"Then we have already won, regardless of the judges' decision. We have shown the world what is possible."
The next evening, the auditorium was packed for the award ceremony. Five finalist teams sat in the front row, each hoping to hear their name called.
The announcer began with the third-place winner—the disaster response robots. Second place went to the agricultural robots. Arjun's heart pounded. Either they had won, or they hadn't placed at all.
"And the winner of the Global Humanitarian Robotics Prize is..." The announcer paused dramatically. "Arjun Malhotra from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for the development of compassionate AI care robots for elderly populations!"
The auditorium erupted in applause. Arjun walked to the stage in a daze, accepting the trophy and the ceremonial check for five million dollars.
"This award isn't for me," Arjun said into the microphone. "It's for my parents, Vikram and Priya Malhotra, who taught me that technology should serve humanity's highest values. It's for my grandparents, who inspired this work and trusted a teenager to care for them through robots. It's for Dr. Kapoor, who mentored me. It's for the Silver Years Foundation, which believed in this vision. And it's for Akash, Maya, Priya, and Vikram—the robots who proved that care and compassion can exist in circuits and code."
Back in Mumbai, at 2:30 in the morning, Dada and Dadi were crying and cheering. Akash and Maya stood with them, their optical sensors glowing bright with something that looked remarkably like pride.
"We won," Dadi said to Akash. "Our boy won!"
"He did indeed," Akash replied. "But more importantly, elderly people everywhere won. This funding will allow us to help millions of families like ours."
The win changed everything. Manufacturing companies reached out immediately, offering partnerships. Universities wanted to license the technology. Governments expressed interest in pilot programs. The dream of making care robots accessible worldwide was suddenly, tangibly possible.
But Arjun insisted on maintaining control over the core values. Any company manufacturing the robots had to agree to his ethical guidelines—the robots must always prioritize the wellbeing of users, must be designed with dignity and respect as core values, must be affordable to middle-income families, and must be continuously improved based on user feedback.
"This isn't just a product," Arjun told the lawyers drafting licensing agreements. "It's a mission. Anyone who builds these robots must understand that."
Over the following months, the project expanded exponentially. A factory in Pune began manufacturing components. Training programs were established for the technicians who would maintain the robots. A nonprofit foundation was created to subsidize costs for low-income families.
By the end of Arjun's sophomore year, over one hundred care robots were operating across India, with plans to expand to other countries. Each one bore a name chosen by the family it served, each one learned and adapted to specific needs, each one provided care that was both technically excellent and emotionally meaningful.
And back home in Mumbai, the original robots continued their work—Akash caring for Dada and Dadi, Maya managing the household, Priya serving at the senior facility, and Vikram accompanying Mr. Ashok Rao through his golden years.
They were the prototypes, the proof of concept, the foundation on which a global movement was built. But more than that, they were family—beloved, essential, and irreplaceable members of the lives they touched.
As Arjun reflected on the journey so far, he realized that success wasn't measured in awards or funding or media attention. It was measured in the smile on Dadi's face when Akash brought her morning tea. In the confidence Dada felt knowing he was safe. In the thousands of families sleeping peacefully because their loved ones were cared for.
That was the real prize. Everything else was just the means to expand it.
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**End of Chapter 14**
*Word Count: 1,501 words*
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**THE ROBOT HELPERS - Chapter 14**
**By Vijay Sharma Erry**
**Previous Chapter:** Across the Distance
**Next Chapter:** Full Circle
