DD Robocon (Doordarshan Robocon) is India's premier national robotics competition, part of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union Robot Contest. I've competed twice representing Nirma University, achieving back-to-back podium finishes.
Competition Highlights
- DD Robocon 2024 — 🥇 National Champions. Designed and built both manual and autonomous robots for the "Harvest Day" theme. Full autonomous traversal with object detection and placement.
- DD Robocon 2025 — 🥈 First Runners Up. Engineered a three-wheeled omnidirectional swerve robot with autonomous path planning for the themed challenge.
My Role
As the navigation and controls lead, I was responsible for:
- Designing the complete ROS2 navigation pipeline for the autonomous robot
- Implementing custom path planners optimized for the competition arena's specific obstacles and constraints
- Integrating LiDAR and camera sensors for real-time environment perception
- Tuning PID controllers and velocity profiles for precise trajectory following
- Testing and iterating the autonomous strategy over 100+ field test hours
Engineering Challenges
Competition robotics pushes the limits of rapid engineering. Each season involves 6+ months of design, fabrication, and software development under strict weight, size, and cost constraints. The robots must perform reliably under intense competitive pressure with zero margin for error.
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