December 24, 2011
School of Engineering, Bengaluru
 

In September 2010, Amrita’s Bengaluru campus hosted India’s first-ever Robot World Cup and Congress. The event sponsored by the Federation for International Robot Soccer Association (FIRA) drew enthusiasts from all over the country and abroad.
 

A dream was born then. To continue hosting such robotics competitions every year, and encourage the field of robotics in the local academic community.
 

That dream found fulfilment when the Amrita School of Engineering, Bengaluru organized the first-ever state-level robotics competition, Robodium, during November 29-30, 2011.
 

A total of 24 teams from different colleges in Karnataka participated.
 

These teams had their robotic creations compete in events LiFo (Line Follower), 3->2->1 and Hit ’em Up. The events tested design skills and logical programming abilities of those who created the robots.
 

In LiFo, participants designed an autonomous line-following robot. The challenge came when participants had to ensure that the integrity of their programming logic held in the case of ramps and/or circular navigation. Team Synergy from M.S. Ramaiah Institute of Technology, with its creativity, claimed the first prize in this contest.
 

3->2->1, the robotics race, saw wire-controlled robots navigate a difficult obstacle course on campus. “Our obstacle course flummoxed the cleverest of designs with strategically placed sand banks, gravel, ramps and water puddles,” proudly stated the organizers.
 

Team UBE from Amrita School of Engineering, Bengaluru won the event 3->2->1.
 

Hit ’em Up saw several rounds of robotic wars. In a comparatively gentle first round, participants attempted to push each other’s wired robots out of the arena. “Subsequent rounds witnessed an increasing amount of carnage, as the arena became less forgiving, incorporating pit traps, grease, sand and finally, barbed wires, all of which tested the endurance of both the robots and their controllers,” the organizers shared.
 

“Metal fought against metal here,” they enthusiastically added.
 

Team Yash, from M.V.J. College of Engineering, Bengaluru won the first prize in this event. The judges considered audience feedback also for deciding the overall winner.
 

The competition was organized by ACROM, the Amrita Club for Robotics & Mechatronics.
 

“We are happy with the participation in the state-level competition we conducted for the first time this year. We look forward to conducting it again next year,” stated Nippun Kumaar, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, also Fest Convener and Faculty Advisor of ACROM.