NEW DELHI : IHFC, the Technology Innovation Hub of IIT Delhi, and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) have joined hands to organise Robotics for Good, a UN-based educational robotics championship, for the first time in India in October.
The IHFC has been appointed as the national organiser in India for the Robotics for Good Youth Challenge 2024-2025, a global initiative of the ITU, as part of AI for Good, the leading action-oriented, global, and inclusive United Nations platform on artificial intelligence.
ITU is the UN’s specialised agency for information and communication technologies. This challenge, to be held in India for the first time, will put Indian students and their robotics expertise on the global map. An opportunity to make India shine, this robotics challenge looks at targeting students to offer robotic solutions targeting disaster management, which is a critical focus area across the world.
The challenge highlights robots that offer practical solutions to promote the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Participants design, build, and program a robot that completes a mission based on one of these goals. The focus is on Robotics for Good, emphasising addressing natural disasters like earthquakes, seismic risk prediction, and soil and subsurface studies. The primary objective is to enable swift intervention during disasters to effectively minimize their impact.
It is designed for two age groups: Junior (Class 6-8) and Senior (9-12). IHFC is the key enabler for this event and will organise the India Qualifying Tournament for the challenge on October 17 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. This is a qualifying tournament leading to a finale in Geneva during the AI for Good Global Summit 2025.