i-RoboChakra, in association with the Regional Science Centre, Coimbatore, is training two teams of three students each for the World Robot Olympiad, to be held in New Delhi this year. The science, technology and education event brings together young people from all over the world to demonstrate their creativity and problem-solving skills through challenging and educational robotics competitions.

At the World Robot Olympiad, participating teams need to create, design, and build robot models that look or behave like humans. This year the theme is ‘Rap the scrap.’ It involves segregation of wastes.

Contestants will be given small and big blocks of four different colours representing the `wastes’ and location of the same colours on the eight-foot board, representing the ‘dump areas.’ The task is to design, develop, and program a robot which would pick the waste from the lot, check on its size and colour, carry it to the corresponding `Dump areas` and put it there.

The catch is the `Dump areas` and the `Waste dump` are randomly placed on the board just before the competition begins and the robot should autonomously decide on the strategy to execute the task. The teams are expected to complete the entire task in two minutes. The team with the maximum points shall go to the next level.

Notably points will be allotted to teams on the basis of accuracy of placing the `Waste’ at the `Dump area`.

The regional round is scheduled to be hosted in Chennai on September 17 and 18. The national round will be hosted in Kolkata on October 22 and 23. More than 50 countries are expected to participate in this competition.

Arun Rajeev, Managing Director, i-RoboChakra, said, “Robotics sciences is very important to the future generation. It involves problem solving, creativity, team work, and using science and technology for the betterment and development of our nation. Through exposure to such competitions, students will learn a lot.”