The competition is meant for undergraduate students in science. According to the organisers, each team will have to make robots that will focus on teamwork. Students will be creating both manual and automatic robots. Three towers will be there at the specially prepared game field and robots will have to take the object placed at the top of towers, resembling dahi handi.

The winning team, which will have to complete the task within the stipulated time of three minutes, will represent the country in the ABU Asia-Pacific Robot Contest 2008, which India will host on August 31.

A M Chakradeo, chairman, contest committee, ABU Asia-Pacific Robot Contest, said about 20 international teams would participate in the Asia-Pacific contest, to be held in Pune. “Since India is the host, two teams from here are eligible to partake in the contest scheduled in August. The winners will be given a cash award of US $ 1,500 to enhance the robots for the upcoming tournament,” he said.

He said the participants are free to adopt negative strategies like blocking the opponent’s robot but cannot use any inflammable or hazardous materials while making the robots. DD will run a live telecast of the event in their sports channel.