The Robocon competition is getting hotter

Two more days, the 2009 Robocon contest in the South officially started. But the atmosphere at universities has increased.

In the coming days, HCM City Industrial University will always be excited by the cheering for 14 robocon teams to compete, in order to find the five strongest teams.

White night with robocon

At the training ground of Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry, we met students who were . sleeping. Mr. Nguyen Thanh Dang, Head of School Robocon explained: 'They have to practice, edit, robots prepare for the school competition until late at night, so they lack sleep'.

The student of the Alluvial Bui Khac Vuong said, "For the past two weeks, 10 members of the team have spent many nights awake. Today, this area is out of power so we can make up for it."

The contest Robocon 2009 was launched by Industrial University from September 2008. At first there were 20 teams registered to participate, but through the examination rounds there were only 14 teams. Faculties create all conditions such as room and machine support . and the school sponsors a training ground that meets the standards and facilitates team members to sleep at the school.

A team of Robocon University of SPKT HCMC.

At Ho Chi Minh City University of Technical Education, students are also given a home for the robocon design teams. For members to eat and sleep at school, support some mechanical machines.

Student Nguyen Ngoc Nguyen, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Team Leader SPKT-MET said: 'Come to the festival until now we eat and sleep with robocon. Mainly for mechanical design, programming, and ideas, drawings we made before Tet. By now the robot is complete. We are practicing to shorten the time, avoiding the rules and shaking the robots when going up and down the slope '.

Do not eat, sleep at school like many other places, members of 20 teams from Ho Chi Minh City Polytechnic University, from the beginning of February 2009, in addition to the remaining classes to spend all the time for 'robocon'.

Nguyen Tan Phong, shared: 'We only spend four to five hours every day to sleep. Sometimes when I go to bed, I have to "wake up with the robocon girl" to wake up . ".

It takes tens of millions to join Robocon

Vo Thanh Phong, the leader of Leo's team of the University of Technology and Engineering estimated that the budget for making three robots was about 12 million dong. Before that, the school promised to support the participating teams, but only now received more than 5 million dong, the rest of the members shared each other. 'Therefore, we only dare to buy equipment that cannot be done and most are homemade'.

Students in other schools also find it difficult to participate in making robocon. Student Tran Quoc Hai said: 'We love robocon and follow. All fasting to do '.

Each participating team must contribute at least tens of millions.

To complete the three robots (not counting the reserve robots), Hai and his friends spent nearly 20 million dong. But Hai said that Hai's team is more fortunate because the group registered to study scientific topics at the school level and the Science and Technology Innovation Contest should have a bonus. 'Without these competitions, we can't afford the ability to participate in the robocon playground'.

The Polytechnic University has regulations that will support registration teams but if they do not, they will have to reimburse the school. However, according to Nguyen Tran Huu Nguyen, director of the Robocon competition of Computer Science and Engineering Department, the money does not absorb the tower and is not easy to receive. Therefore, most teams contribute money to buy equipment and materials. 'Nearly 30 million dong to get enough robots for the contest is not a small sum for students', Nguyen said.

From April 1 to April 10, the regional round of the 2009 Robocon Contest will take place at three locations, including: HCMC, Da Nang and Hanoi to select the teams to participate in the national finals taking place. from May 11 to May 17 in Hue City. The Asia-Pacific Regional Finals will be held in Tokyo (Japan) scheduled for August 22.