Weekend date with robots - NIT workshop a precursor to annual tech bash

A student with a robot at NIT-Adityapur on Tuesday. Telegraph picture

A tech cradle will turn sci-fi turf this weekend.

On February 11 and 12, NIT-Adityapur will host Bot Sumo, a workshop to assemble robots, in association with Bhubaneshwar-based RoboticWares Private Limited, one of the fastest growing technology solution providers in South Asia.

The event is a warm-up to NIT’s annual techno-management fest Ojass, touted as one of eastern India’s biggest campus bashes. Students who make the best robots will showcase their “little men” equipped with artificial intelligence at the fest between March 30 and April 1. Winners will also bag an internship at RoboticWares.

But that comes later. For starters, students will assemble autonomous robots with sensors that can detect obstacles or edges or can follow others. They will learn to integrate a micro-controller, which gives the robot its “brain”. All this at a fee of Rs 4,800 per team.

So far, six teams have registered, but organisers are hoping for more.

“The workshop lab at our campus can easily accommodate around 300 students. We hope to make it a success as this is the first such initiative in the state,” said Ashutosh Mohan, student coordinator, and NIT final-year metallurgy student.

The participating four-member teams will get robokits, which are toolboxes to develop robots, technically termed obstacle detectors and line followers. All participants will get access to LearnICs, a teaching wing of RoboticWares, for life. LearnICs focuses on educational robotics and embedded systems, stressing on college-level education.

“LearnICs is currently being incubated at KIIT, Bhubaneswar, and constantly facilitates scientific and technical education of students through a wide variety of kits,” said robotics workshop coordinator Ashutosh Mohan.

“We are excited as we can learn from trained professionals, besides pitting our wits against the best students. We’ll also get participation certificates from RoboticWares,” said Ashutosh.