Whiz-kid engineers promising future in robotics

PHILIPP Allgeuer's exceptional intelligence enabled him to sit some of his final high school exams at 12.

PHILIPP Allgeuer's exceptional intelligence enabled him to sit some of his final high school exams at 12, enrol part time at university at 15 and, in January with a partner, come second in an international robotics competition against a field of 650 teams.

The University of Adelaide student of mechatronic engineering (a mix of mechanical and electronic engineering) will complete his degree at the end of 2012 when he is 20.

Allgeuer, 17, has a dismissive approach to his high IQ, which has never been measured, although he was judged as having the mental ability of a 10-year-old when he was four.

Nor has he sought the company of other prodigies or been tested for the Mensa society.

"Intelligence takes many different forms and has many different aspects," he says. "I'm very happy with my achievements but I do not make a point of trying to join elite organisations."

He knows the wow factor is unavoidable, but would prefer to be known for the fascinating work he is engaged in rather than anything else.

"I want to continue with the work I have begun in terms of the robotics program because I have been interested in it for a long time," he says of his post-degree career. "I had kids' Lego robotics at about nine or 10 [years old] so I started quite early."

He was roped into trying this year's Techfest competition in Mumbai by a mate who is also studying at Adelaide, Najmal Karuppam Veettil. It is Asia's largest science and technology festival.

"The challenge was to build two robots that collaborate to collect four cubes and deposit them in four predetermined locations in an arena, or grid 2.3msq," Allgeuer says.

"The robots start in a central zone, collect the cubes and drop them into locations in each of the four sides.

"There were lots of rules including that there must be wireless communication between the two robots.

"It was extremely difficult, much more than I would have believed when I entered."

Although this may sound esoteric, it is the kind of technology that has the potential to be applied, for example, in medicine, using nanobots to locate and kill cancer cells.