Robotics Rally Reigns at DU’s Dynamic Festival
Dhaka University’s Nawab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Building recently hosted the inaugural two-day Robotronics Fest, jointly organized by the Department of Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering and the RME-DU Student Club, marking the department’s 10th anniversary. The festival culminated on the evening of August 10 with the announcement of winners in various competitions, including soccer and Line Follower Robot (LFR) events.
The Moulana Bhasani University of Science and Technology team, Durbar, was crowned champion in the soccer robot segment.
At the closing ceremony, the university treasurer, Professor M. Jahangir Alam, serving as the chief guest, remarked, “Our era witnessed the arrival of Google, and now AI has come. It will not replace jobs but will reduce working hours and create new fields. It will ease our journey. Therefore, every school should have a dedicated lab.”
In his speech, Murteza Zulkar Nine Noman, Deputy Secretary of the ICT Division, said, “Forty-one startups have received grants to support innovation. We want students to apply for financial aid for their ideas and innovations. Simultaneously, at this crossroads, we must focus on the gradually declining human intelligence.”
Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Electronics, Professor Upoma Kabir, added, “Technology has not diminished humanity; rather, it has enhanced it.”
Presiding over the event, Dr. Sejuti Rahman, Chairperson of the Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering Department, drew on the example of Kaiku Li, who, after losing his parents and struggling in life, felt the need for a ‘robot companion’ to perform routine tasks beyond creativity. “In the future, humans will focus solely on creative work. They will be compassionate,” she said. Dr. Rahman also noted that about 800 participants competed across four venues on August 9 and 10, and efforts would be made to double the scale in the future.
Other notable speakers included Professor Kamruzzaman, Director of the Institute of Leather Technology, and Dr. Mehedi Hasan and Junaid Ahmed, President and Secretary of the RME-DU Student Club respectively.
In the soccer robot competition, the champion title went to the team Black from Government Shaheed Suhrawardy College, whose members are Saber, Md. Nahid Hossain, Tasnim Bandhan, Md. Rahat, and Farjat Hasan. The runners-up were AUST RC - ROBO BOT V3 from Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology, featuring members Twaki Tahmid, Md. Tamjidul Islam, Talal Wasif Tushar, and Md. Rubaid Absar Sabit.
The overall champion in the competition was Durbar from Moulana Bhasani University of Science and Technology, comprising Atikur Rahman Sozib, Tanvir Islam, Mirza Jisun, and Ashikujjan Nur. The runner-up team ‘Team Indur’ hailed from Leading University, with members Majedul Islam Naeem, Rokibul Islam, Fariha Haque Fima, and Anupama Das.
At the university-level project showcase, Dhaka University’s Kachhop Bot secured the champion position, with runner-up honors going to DU’s Ihabot. At the school level, Rajshahi Cantonment School and College emerged as champions.
In the Line Follower Robot competition, the champions were again Durbar from Moulana Bhasani University of Science and Technology, with the same team members as above. The runners-up were Team Dynamic Spark from the University of Scholars.
In the DU AI Challenge, which focused on data analysis, modeling, and prediction using artificial intelligence and machine learning to solve real-world problems, the champion team was CUET_RSCube from Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology. Team members included Ratnajit Dhar, Sozib Bhattacharya, Sourav Nath, and M.D. Sagar Chowdhury. The runner-up was Neural Nexus from Dhaka University, led by Syed Nazmus Sakib.
The event showcased the growing enthusiasm among Bangladesh’s young innovators and researchers in robotics, AI, and technology, underlining the importance of fostering creativity and technical skills for the future.
