Six years ago, Wongsakorn Limsiri was just an ordinary schoolboy in Surin province. He'd never received any honour certificates and was ranked 30th in a class of 40 students.

Then he discovered science, and his young life was completely changed.

He was soon at the top of his class, and he won first prize for a science development project.

Just two years later, when he was in Grade 8, he received a long-term scholarship from the Junior Science Talent Project of the National Science and Technology Development Agency, which gives him funding support for scientific studies until he completes a doctoral degree.

Wongsakorn, who is now 18 and in Grade 12 at Sirindhorn School in Surin province, is more mature and has set his mind on becoming an engineer.

Still, he recalls that if it hadn't been for his Grade 6 science development project, he might have remained an ordinary schoolboy with no ambitions.

His involvement in the science project began as an effort to win an honour certificate. He wanted something to be proud of - to impress his friends. "That's all that I really thought at the time," he says, but he began to work at his goal.

He told his teacher he wanted to undertake a science project for the school's competition, and the idea of developing a floor-cleaning robot came to his mind.

"It seemed to be a good project," he muses, with a smile, "but it was too difficult for a boy like me. So I changed my mind at the last minute and decided on a new project, to develop a rat catcher."

His project used a simple scientific theory, but its benefits in terms of application won Wongsakorn the first prize, and his life was changed forever.

He fell in love with science and, from a boy with no ideas for his future, he discovered the path he wanted to follow.

"I knew myself that I wanted to walk into the scientific field," he says. "The prize not only made me proud and more confident, it was also a key driver that pushed me into more scientific development projects."

Many projects followed, including an electric bicycle and two versions of an insect catcher using light and sound.

But developing a robot was still at the back of his mind. After poring over many scientific books, including the US magazine Popular Mechanics, Wongsakorn decided to make a flying robot.

"I began studying to make the flying robot two years ago. I drafted a proposal to the Junior Science Talent Project asking for funding support and the project was approved. I began development last year," he says.

From his personal interest in aeroplanes, he was able to adapt a set of remotely controlled aeroplanes to become his new flying robot. He equipped the device with a digital camera, a global positioning system, a micro-controller and a wireless trnsmitter, aiming to create something to be used as an "aerial pair of eyes" to help people on surveying jobs.

"As the aircraft is equipped with technology, we can fly it to an area that we cannot reach [on foot]," he explains.

Wongsakorn's flying robot can capture birds-eye view pictures with its digital camera and send them wirelessly to a central system, allowing people to see the images in real time. Having a global positioning system, the robot can collect latitude, longitude and time data for further analysis.

He has recently completed a second version of the flying robot. It can be directed upwards and downwards, left and right, as well as sending video data in real time. But Wongsakorn wants to make it even smarter, by adding new technology like image processing. This, he explains, will enable a better analysis of images captured by the digital camera.

He also believes he can make his flying robot follow an assigned image. Instead of being flown from the ground by remote control, Wongsakorn plans to develop a technique to allow the robot to recognise an assigned image so it can fly by itself, following the moving image, with no need to use remote control.

"For instance, if the image moves to the right, the flying robot will follow it. We can use it for tracking a suspect vehicle, for example," he says.

In the back of his mind is the development of the ultimate flying robot - a completely independent aerial vehicle without need for human control.

"It may take time, but it's possible," he says.

And at only 18 years old, time is something he has in abundance.

Pongpen Sutharoj

The Nation