ISRO Launches Robotics Challenge for Students

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has invited students to design and develop a wheeled rover for future missions. 

The competition, called the ISRO Robotics Challenge (IRC), is open to all students from across the country. This announcement comes after the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced plans to continue its robotic exploration of the Moon and other celestial bodies. This new phase of exploration is expected to build on the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, which successfully landed on the Moon's southern pole in October 2023.

The challenge was announced on the space research agency’s Twitter (X) account. 

ISRO organises
ISRO Robotics Challenge-URSC 2024
(IRoC-U2024).

India's student community is invited to design and implement a Space Robot, encompassing both hardware and software aspects.

A springboard to showcase innovative ideas, receive rewards, and collaborate in… pic.twitter.com/T5Y0xACvgR

— ISRO (@isro) November 13, 2023

The IRC aims to encourage innovation in the field of space robotics and to provide a platform for students to showcase their skills. The competition will also help ISRO to identify talented students who could potentially be recruited to work on future missions.

The wheeled rover should be able to operate in a variety of environments, including on the Moon, Mars, and other celestial bodies. The rover should also be able to perform a number of tasks, such as collecting samples, taking pictures, and exploring new terrain.

According to Firstpost, the registrations for the challenging event will begin on November 20, 2023, and will close on December 15, 2023. 

The notification from ISRO reads: “To provide the opportunity for the students in the area of space robotics, “ISRO Robotics Challenge-URSC 2024 (IRoC-U 2024)” is organised with a tagline of “Let’s build a space robot”. The challenge consists of an engineering project where the Institutional teams build robots to compete in an extra-terrestrial-inspired arena, performing tasks based on the real-life challenges faced by space robotics. This is an invitation for the student community for the design and realisation of a ‘Wheeled/Legged Rover’ encompassing the development of complete hardware and software. The solutions provided by the students in IRoC-U 2024 have a greater chance of getting incorporated into ISRO’s future interplanetary robotics missions.”

The aim of this challenge is to establish a standardised platform for everyone who wants to delve into the realm of space robotics. 

The winning teams will be chosen by a combination of a jury review and an assessment of their sportsmanship. The first-place team will be awarded a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh, the second-place team Rs 3 lakh, and the third-place team Rs 2 lakh. Additionally, ISRO will award a consolation prize of Rs 1 lakh to two teams. The ISRO Robotics Challenge Day will be held in August 2024 at the URSC Bengaluru Campus.