BENGALURU: Engineering students from across the state will compete against each other in a first-of-its-kind District Robotic Premier League at the 22nd edition of Bengaluru Tech Summit, the flagship event of the State Government’s Department of IT & BT.
The three-day summit opens on Monday. The league will have two distinct categories — RoboRace Challenge and Quad Copter Challenge. Over 150 senior students are expected to participate, the organisers told TNIE.
Deputy Chief Minister Dr N Ashwath Narayan, who is minister for IT and BT, believes that robotics play a major role in the development of various sectors — from defence to agriculture. He said the platform will provide an opportunity for participants to learn from each other and develop their own products.
While teams taking part in the RoboRace will have to navigate hurdles to reach the finish, those participating in the Quad Copter Challenge will display abilities in safe takeoff and landing while also crossing obstacles.
Similar to drone racing, flying a Quad Copter, which is categorised as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), is popular as a leisure activity among fliers. While last year’s event saw professionals from three countries flying them after dusk, this year, students will be at the controls during the daytime.
On the first day of the event on Monday, and partly into the second day, the teams will be trained at a workshop. At noon on Tuesday, RoboRace Challenge contenders will compete in Hall 5 at Palace Grounds, while the Quad Copter Challenge will be held in the open, the organiser told TNIE.
The winning teams (with a maximum of five members) will be awarded Rs 15,000 while the runner-up teams will get Rs 10,000. Four teams will be awarded the third place with a purse of Rs 4,000 each. The prize pool (Rs 82,000 for both events) is lesser than the previous edition (Rs 2 lakh).
Pointing to a tight budget, Narayan told TNIE that the government was spending Rs 10 crore for the three-day event, that too after much scrutiny.
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