In June, our team received an email inviting us to the Robot Challenge 2023, an international event held in China involving 24 nations. Excited by the opportunity to participate after the COVID-19 pandemic, we prepared for two competitions: Line following – Adult and Puck Collector. We built the robot bodies using MDF and carefully selected the necessary hardware. For line following, we used an 8-array line sensor and an Atmega328 microcontroller with a PID controller for precision. Despite slower motors from China, we finally secured the THIRD prize. In the Puck Collector competition, our team employed computer vision with OpenCV and equipped the robot with a camera to differentiate between red and blue pucks.
We used a centerline to navigate and collect the pucks, with a color sensor and servo-activated gate mechanism to sort them. Our approach showcased the application of our institution’s curriculum, combining Open CV, ARM programming, and concepts from their B.Sc. CSIT program. Our team achieved the FIRST prize in this competition. The competition day in China was very fun and a good learning experience and the strong learning that I experienced over there was that we are equally capable of designing and building robots as other developed countries are. Winning the prize, I would like to thank Prime College for giving me an opportunity to sharpen my knowledge regularly by giving me the chance to teach and mentor my fellow students.
