March 10, 2023: Pune, India: The biggest international robotics competition for School and Junior College students in India will take place from March 10th – March 12th, 2023 at Shri Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Badminton Stadium, Mhalunge – Balewadi.
Organized by InfinityX STEM Foundation the championship will be held from 9 am to 6 pm.
The competition will be inaugurated on March 10th in presence of dignitaries like Dr. P A Inamdar President Maharashtra Cosmopolitan Education Society, Mr. Ashvin Savant Chairman InfinityX Stem Foundation, Mr. Samuel Plasmati Field Operations Manager FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), “Padmashree” Shri Pramod Kale Ex Director ISRO, Mr. Shekhar Gaikwad IAS Commissioner of Sugar Govt. of Maharashtra, Mr. Suhas Diwase Commissioner of Sports Govt. of Maharashtra, Mr. Amar Variawa Sr. Director Michelin Tyres, Mr. Mahesh Masurkar Director John Deere, Mr. Aakanksha Sane Head Hr. PTC and other dignitaries.
The semi-final and final round and the Award Ceremony will be held on March 12th in presence of dignitaries like Mr. Vikram Kumar IAS Commissioner Pune Municipal Corporation Mrs. Harshbeena Zaveri Managing Director NRB Bearings, Professor Padmakumar Nair Vice Chancellor Thapar University, Prof Mukul Sutaone Vice Chancellor COEP Technological University, Mr. Manoj Jain CFO BVG. India Ltd. and other dignitaries.
Being a national competition, about 71 teams will take part in the competition from across India, from cities including Pune, Leh, Lakhimpur, Mumbai, New Delhi, Rajkot, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai and Vishakhapatnam and even from countries like Romania, Kazakhstan, Russia and Israel.
The theme for this year’s competition will be ‘PowerPlay’, which is based on an energy-driven game and test the limits of performance, efficiency, and endurance as they power their innovations forward.
Two winning teams will be selected, which will then represent India at global championship at Houston, USA during April 19 and April 22, 2023. To boost chances of FTC India winner doing well at FTC USA, the organizers will provide mentorship to the teams so that they get well prepared for FTC USA.
Special teams from several schools from rural areas, corporation run schools, and deaf schools among others will also participate in the competition, which will include a team from Mumbai from a deaf School.
A team from the slums of Dharavi, Mumbai, teams from Municipal Corporation schools from Bangalore, Chennai, Pune and Delhi respectively, a team from remote area of Kurnool and a team from rural village near Delhi, teams from remote locations in Ladakh and Assam will also be participating.
Each team will be provided with a robotic kit by the organizers at the competition and since the building of robots will require knowledge of mechanics and electronic, there will be mentors who will guide the students in understanding the theme of the competition and build the robot accordingly. Similarly, InfinityX STEM Foundation, a not-for-profit Section 8 company set up by the organizers will sponsor 12 robotic kits to the students from lower strata of society to encourage their participation.
“With 30 teams participating in 2019, and 47 teams in 2020, the objective of FTC is to promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education among students in India” said, Mr. Samuel Plasmati Field Operations Manager, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology).
This year a total number of 71 Teams will be participating in the FIRST Tech Challenge India Championship 2022-23.
It is observed that students participating in FTC perform better in their educational career as it helps them build their self-confidence, knowledge and life-skills,” said Ashvin B Savant, Founder and CEO, InfinityX.
FTC is supported by Qualcomm as Presenting Partner. It has been also supported by NRB Bearings Ltd., PTC, John Deere, BVG India, Travwold, FIAT India, DOW, Bajaj Auto Ltd, Capegemini, Maharashtra Cosmopolitan Education Society, and other corporates joining the event. FTC has been endorsed by ARAI, STPI, SEAP, SAE India, COEP Technological University, Vishwakarma University and Savitribai Phule Pune University.
FIRST Tech Challenge robotics competition is presented by FIRST, USA (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) which was founded by Dean Kamen and Woodie Flowers in 1989 to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology. It is a not-for-profit public charity designs accessible, innovative programs that motivate young people to pursue education and career opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), while building self-confidence, knowledge. Its philosophy is expressed by the organisation as coopertition (co-operation and competition) and gracious professionalism (that encourages teamwork with high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community). FTC competition was introduced by PTC in India 2009-10 in collaboration with NRB Bearings Ltd and since 2011-12, FTC is being organized every year for students in grades 7-12 (age group of 12 to 18 years). Teams, with the guidance of coaches, mentors and volunteers, are required to develop strategy and build robots based on innovative, sound engineering principles.
