Robotics Competition Yantra 9.0 Happening from February 11

The Robotics Association of Nepal (RAN) is organizing Yantra 9.0, its 9th edition of the science, technology, and entrepreneurship festival, from February 11, 2024, to March 3, 2024.

Yantra is an event dedicated to robotics, featuring numerous events and programs related to the field.

One of the event’s major highlights is Yantra Warz, a robot combat competition where custom-built remote-controlled robots battle for victory.

You can purchase entry tickets for Rs. 100 using the mobile wallet Khalti.

The event also includes other international robotics competitions where teams are tasked with specific challenges using robots.

This edition marks the return of Yantra after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The theme of Yantra 9.0 is “Climate Change and the Future of Work.”

In addition to the international robotics competition, each Yantra edition features Mini-Yantra, Yantra Business Cup, Yantra Preparatory Workshops, Yantra Opening/Closings, Yantra Robotics and AI Conferences, and other multidisciplinary programs.

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Yantra 9.0

The Yantra 9.0 events include:

1. Yantra Warz
2. Yantra Business Cup Expo
3. Yantra Business Cup Softbots
4. Yantra Autonomous Industries (YAI)
5. Yantra International League (ROBOSOCCER)
6. Yantra Swarmanoid
7. President Cup Yantra Kids
8. President Cup Yantra Teens

Yantra Warz

In Yantra Warz, the arena becomes a battlefield for custom-built gladiators of steel. These remote-controlled robots, each measuring 60 cm x 60 cm x 75 cm and weighing in at under 30 kg, clash in an epic combat competition.

The prize pool for Yantra Warz amounts to Rs. 2,00,000.

Yantra Business Cup (YBC)

The Yantra Business Cup, an annual highlight of the Yantra Science, Technology, and Entrepreneurship Festival, offers a platform for robot engineers, makers, enthusiasts, tinkerers, dreamers, and startups to kickstart their ventures in the realm of robotics. With a focus on addressing local challenges, fostering a sustainable development ecosystem, tackling climate change, and advocating for good governance, the YBC aims to propel Nepal towards a thriving robotics industry by 2030.

Under the YBC, the Yantra 9.0 features two events: YBC Expo and YBX Softbots

YBC EXPO

The Yantra Business Cup Expo is an open software/hardware robot showcasing competition, where participants/startups will present their robots and pitch how they will start their business solving climate change concerns, minimizing its effects, and adapting to the changes. Participants will be able to create robots for a variety of industries, including agriculture, tourism, education, industry, manufacturing, and others.

The prize pool for Yantra Business Cup Expo amounts to Rs. 75,000.

YBC SOFTBOTS

Softbots is an open AI-powered software as a robot competition in which contestants will create soft robots that will work digitally to aid humans in the same way that humans do.

The prize pool for Yantra Business Cup Softbots amounts to Rs. 60,000.

Yantra Autonomous Industries (YAI)

The Yantra Autonomous Industries (YAI) is an open competition where autonomous robots are tasked with completing various challenges within the YAI arena, with the recent earthquake serving as the theme.

The primary objective of the event is to develop artificially intelligent robots capable of effectively responding to natural disasters, leveraging image processing technology for enhanced capabilities.

The prize pool for Yantra Autonomous Industries amounts to Rs. 1,50,000.

Yantra International League (Robosoccer)

The Yantra International League Robosoccer is an open football competition in which two teams, each consisting of at least three robots, compete to score the highest. The highest-scoring team will win. The victorious squad will have the opportunity to meet and greet Nepalese football legends.

Additionally, based on the total number of goals scored by teams in this competition, RAN will organize a tree plantation in the riverside region of Lalitpur Metropolitan City.

The prize pool for Yantra International League Robosoccer amounts to Rs. 1,50,000.

Yantra Swarmanoid

Yantra Swarmanoid is an inclusive tournament where autonomous robots collaborate in pairs to efficiently manage and sort garbage. This interactive exhibit highlights the importance of teamwork in addressing the negative impacts associated with manual solid waste management.

The prize pool for Yantra Swarmanoid amounts to Rs. 1,00,000.

President Cup Yantra Kids

Yantra Kids is a students-based competition for children in which the participants will build robots, design various building structures in Kathmandu, and understand various energy sources that contribute to climate change.

The prize pool for President Cup Yantra Kids amounts to Rs. 32,000.

President Cup Yantra Teens

Yantra Teens is a new program by Yantra this year for high school students in Classes 9 through 12. The competition, themed “Garbage to Gold,” challenges contestants to build robots capable of collecting plastics and metal waste from different parts of cities, collect it and dump it manually or by blasting it directly into the recycling chamber. The robot with the most points at the end of the competition will be crowned President Cup – Yantra Teens.

The prize pool for President Cup Yantra Teens amounts to Rs. 75,000.

About RAN

The Robotics Association of Nepal [RAN] is a non-governmental, non-profit organization that offers a forum for tech enthusiasts and students around Nepal to encourage, inform, and encourage more Nepalis to delve into the fields of makers, robotics, electronics, and automation. With practical instruction and workshops in robotics and electronics automation, RAN was founded in 2010.

RAN organizes the Yantra Science Tech and Entrepreneurship Festival every year to honor science, technology, and entrepreneurship in Nepal. The festival was first held as a National Robotics competition. Since its inaugural run in 2011, the festival has developed into one of the biggest and most well-liked tech gatherings in the nation.