At the Open-Air Theatre inside the Indian Institute of Technology Madras on Monday groups of boys and girls watched intently as robots played soccer.
Some robots were simple contraptions of wires holding a platform and operated using a joystick. Others were metal assemblies with sturdy bodies. One team had attached boulders to their robot.
Students said a robot could weigh a maximum of 5 kg. The student referees ensured rules were adhered to and instructed participants to weigh their robot.
On the floor a football ground was laid. The referee placed a tennis ball in the middle of the ‘playground’ and at each end of the court a robot from two opposing teams was placed. When the referee signalled the students operated their remote controls, and the robots would begin moving.
In the game of skill lighter robots could defend their turf and prevent goals easily. According to the students, 100 teams had registered for the contest and the finals would be held on Tuesday.
In another contest nearby students had developed hovercrafts. They would be given 6 minutes in which the craft must pick up a ball and drop it into a box. A makeshift water tank had been built for the contest. Thirteen teams were shortlisted from among the 30 who participated initially, said Anushka Goyal, a 2nd year aerospace engineering student at the Institute.
“We will be scoring them on the ability to move on rough and smooth surface and picking up the ball. The preliminary round was online. The three winners would collectively get Rs. 1.75 lakh as prize money,” explained Praneethej L, a 2nd year student from the engineering design department.
Elsewhere on the campus, seven shortlisted students presented the results of their experiment to identify microorganisms given to them on a Petri dish. The winners were chosen based on their performance in theory and practicals. One of the judges and IIT M’s assistant professor of biotechnology Arumugam Rajavelu said all biotechnology students must have a basic knowledge of the biochemical characterisation of microbes. The contest had two judges from the National Institute of Ocean Technology that is partnering with IIT for the event.
The Hindu is the media partner for Shaastra 2025.
Published – January 07, 2025 01:04 am IST
