Battle of the Bots: Inside SRIJAN 2025
JUMTC
SRIJAN, Jadavpur University's annual techno-management fest, is always a spectacle. But this year, the Robotics Arena took it to a whole new level. Hosted by JUMTC, the arena transformed into a battleground for engineering supremacy, where strategy met raw power.
The Events
The arena featured three main categories, each testing a different aspect of robotics. It wasn't just about destruction; it was about control, precision, and endurance.
- RoboWars: The crowd favorite. 15kg and 60kg combat robots fighting to the death (or immobilization). We saw drum spinners tearing through armor, flippers launching opponents into the air, and strategic driving that outmaneuvered brute force. The sound of metal on metal echoed through the campus.
- Pathfinder: An autonomous line-following and maze-solving challenge. Robots had to navigate complex grids, solve shortest-path algorithms, and avoid dynamic obstacles. The speed and precision of these small bots were mind-bending, utilizing PID control loops to stay centered on the track at high velocities.
- Terrabots: A manual robotics challenge where teams built rovers to traverse a multi-terrain course—sand, water, and ramps—while completing pick-and-place tasks. This tested the driver's skill and the robot's mechanical durability.
JUMTC Showcase
As hosts, JUMTC didn't compete for prizes but showcased our latest R&D projects. We demonstrated our quadruped robot, which walked, trotted, and even recovered from being pushed over, mimicking the biomechanics of a dog.
Our 6-DOF robotic arm played chess against visitors, using computer vision to recognize pieces and inverse kinematics to plan its moves. And to top it off, our drone swarm performed a synchronized light show during the closing ceremony, painting the night sky with patterns.
Community Impact
Beyond the competition, SRIJAN is about community. We saw participation from colleges across West Bengal and beyond. It was a melting pot of ideas, where a first-year student could discuss motor drivers with a final-year expert.
"Competition breeds excellence, but collaboration breeds innovation. SRIJAN is where the future engineers of India meet."
The energy, the passion, and the sheer talent on display proved that the future of Indian robotics is in safe hands. We are already planning for next year, with bigger arenas and tougher challenges.
