The ABU Robocon. Asia-Pacific's most renowned stage for avid college roboteers. A dream my mentor showed me back in high school. One of the two aims of my college life. Towards the end of my freshman year, my college's Robocon team, CSD Robocon NITK, conducted recruitments. A test, an assignment, an interview, and, in, I was!

However, my enthusiasm shattered as the COVID lockdown left an inexperienced team with immense knowledge gaps, rusted tools, and forgotten ambitions. Demotivated seniors and unanswered cries to work frustrated me to the core. On the brink of quitting the team, however, patience over frustration and tenacity over cowardice, I chose. Rising from team member to captain, I recruited and mentored juniors.

I built a dedicated 30-member team. With limited funds, we turned old components into promising results. To support our ambitious goals, I secured alumni funding and sponsorships and negotiated with the college to establish a dedicated robotics lab.

Together, we developed advanced autonomous robots featuring holonomic drive systems, manipulators, and computer vision, transforming our vision into a reality.

For the first time, our college qualified for the ABU Robocon Nationals in 2023. In 2024, we achieved the milestone second time in a row.

Season 2023.

The task was to pick and shoot flexible rings into fixed poles on the arena. Watch our robot work!