Fastest Line Follower Robot
Navigate the path to victory with our Fast Line Follower Robot challenge! Program your robot to follow the twists and turns of the track with precision and speed.
All participants at Mekathlon will get a Certification of Participation, medals will be given to the winners of the semi-final round and a trophy will be awarded to the grand finale winners.
Participants from the given category can participate in the Fastest Line Follower competition:
- Developers - The participants will be students of Grades 3 to 7
- Innovators - The participants will be students of Grade 8 to 12
In the Developer category, only 160 teams are eligible to participate in the semi-final round from each city.
In the Innovators category, only 160 teams are eligible to participate in the semi-final round from each city.
In the Fastest Line Follower competition, individual teams will compete to race against time.
- Register yourself and your team members as a user on the official Mekathlon website, create a unique team name, if not already registered.
- Once your team members are registered, you may select the Fastest Line Follower competition from the competition list in your login panel, and apply. You will also be needed to select members from your team who will participate in the competition. A minimum of 1 and a maximum of 5 members in 1 team can participate. Also, select your city for participating in the event.
- Build a wireless autonomous line following robot. Ready-made bots will not be allowed to compete. Only self-made bots will be allowed to participate.
- Bots must be autonomous and cannot involve wireless communication between an operator and the bot. However a remote can be used to start and stop the robot.
- Bots can be circular, square, or of any shape, but must fit inside a rectangular box 20cm long, 20cm wide, and 20cm high at any given point in time.
- The maximum weight of the bot can not exceed 3kg at any given point in time, however, a tolerance of 5% in weight is acceptable
- The electric voltage anywhere inside the machine cannot exceed 16.8V at any given point in time.
- Batteries must be sealed, immobilized electrolyte type (gel cell, lithium, NiCad, or dry cells)
- Infrared light-reflecting materials must not be used on the outside. Minor parts that reflect infrared light could be used only if other robots are not affected. Robots must not produce magnetic interference for other robots on the field.
- If a team claims that their robot is affected by the other team's robot in any way they must show proof/evidence of the interference. Any interference must be confirmed by a Referee if a claim is placed by the other team.
- Any robotic parts/building material can be used until the robot meets the above specifications and if the design and construction are primarily the original work of the team as ready-made robots are not allowed to compete in the competition.
- The Racing track for the Fastest Line Follower competition is measured at 10x12 ft.
- The surface of the track will be white with a black line marked on it.
- The width of the black line will be 25mm.
- The track may contain crossed, curved, or discontinuous black lines.
- A sample track is given below. (Please note that this is not the final track).
- The bot should be calibrated in the testing area before entering the arena.
- Before entering the arena the bot will be placed inside a rectangular box 20cm long, 20cm wide, and 20cm high to check if it meets the desired specifications.
- 1.There are 2 different arenas, each with a varying path:
- i. Innovators: Simple
- ii. Pioneers: Complex
- 2.The competition consists of 5 stages.
- 1.There are 2 different arenas, each with a varying path:
- Participants can utilise the testing arena to calibrate and test their bots.
Stage 1: Qualifying Rounds (Zonal)- 1. Each team will run on the track to record their fastest time completion.
- 2. One team member is allowed in the arena.
- 1. The team must complete the track without competing for time.
- 2. The judge will whistle at the start and finish of the race.
- 3. You have a maximum of 2 minutes to complete the track.
- 4. You can repair your bot in this duration.
- i.No robot changes will be allowed after Round 1.
- ii.No extra practice or repairs after Round 1.
- 1. Each team gets 5 minutes in the arena.
- 2. The team can run their bot multiple times using unlimited restarts to complete the track.
- 3. The clock will reset at each restart and the lowest time of completion will be recorded as the final time.
- 4. In case, a bot does not reach the endpoint. The time recorded until the farthest checkpoint will be recorded as the final time.
- 1. The top 6 teams with the least final time will proceed to Stage 2.
Stage 2: Qualifiers (Grand Finale)
Round 1: Calibration Round- 1. The top 36 teams must complete the track without competing for time.
- 2. The judge will whistle at the start and finish of the race.
- 3. You have a maximum of 2 minutes to complete the track.
- 4. You can repair your bot in this duration.
- i.No robot changes will be allowed after Round 1.
- ii.No extra practice or repairs after Round 1.
- 1. All the top 36 teams will get 2 minutes in the arena.
- 2. Each team can run their bot multiple times using unlimited restarts to complete the track.
- 3. The clock will reset at each restart and the lowest time of completion will be recorded as the final time.
- 4. In case, a bot does not reach the endpoint. The time recorded until the farthest checkpoint will be recorded as the final time.
- 1. The top 16 teams with the least final time will proceed to Stage 3.
Stage 3: Quarterfinals
Round 1: Calibration Round- 1. The top 16 teams must complete the track without competing for time.
- 2. The judge will whistle at the start and finish of the race.
- 3. You have a maximum of 3 minutes to complete the track.
- 4. You can repair your bot in this duration.
- i.No robot changes will be allowed after Round 1.
- ii.No extra practice or repairs after Round 1.
- 1. All the top 16 teams will get 2 minutes in the arena.
- 2. Each team can run their bot multiple times using unlimited restarts to complete the track.
- 3. The clock will reset at each restart and the lowest time of completion will be recorded as the final time.
- 4. In case, a bot does not reach the endpoint. The time recorded until the farthest checkpoint will be recorded as the final time.
Stage 4: Semi-finals
Round 1: Calibration Round- 1. The top 8 teams must complete the track without competing for time.
- 2. The judge will whistle at the start and finish of the race.
- 3. You have a maximum of 2 minutes to complete the track.
- 4. You can repair your bot in this duration.
- i.No robot changes will be allowed after Round 1.
- ii.No extra practice or repairs after Round 1.
- 1. All the top 8 teams will get 2 minutes in the arena.
- 2. Each team can run their bot multiple times using unlimited restarts to complete the track.
- 3. The clock will reset at each restart and the lowest time of completion will be recorded as the final time.
- 4. In case, a bot does not reach the endpoint. The time recorded until the farthest checkpoint will be recorded as the final time.
- 1. The top 4 teams with the least final time will proceed to Stage 5.
Stage 5: Grand Finale
Round 1: Calibration Round- 1. The top 4 teams must complete the track without competing for time.
- 2. The judge will whistle at the start and finish of the race.
- 3. You have a maximum of 2 minutes to complete the track.
- 4. You can repair your bot in this duration.
- i.No robot changes will be allowed after Round 1.
- ii.No extra practice or repairs after Round 1.
- 1. All the top 4 teams will get 2 minutes in the arena.
- 2. Each team can run their bot multiple times using unlimited restarts to complete the track.
- 3. The clock will reset at each restart and the lowest time of completion will be recorded as the final time.
- 4. In case, a bot does not reach the endpoint. The time recorded until the farthest checkpoint will be recorded as the final time.
- 1. The top 16 teams with the least final time will proceed to Stage 3.
End of Competition:- 1. After the grand finale round, the top 3 teams with the least final time will win the competition with the following titles:
- Winner
- 1st Runner-Up
- 2nd Runner-Up
Venue: Bengaluru (India)
Registration Fee:
- For Indian residents: INR 999/- (Inclusive GST) per team.
- For non-India residents: USD 30 per team.
Zonal Round:
Each competition will announce a 1st, 2nd and 3rd position winner. Each winning team will receive a certificate and a medal.
International Grand Finale
Each winning team will receive a certificate, medal and trophy.
| Winner | First Place | Second Place | Third Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| Developers | ₹ 20,000/- | ₹ 14,000/- | ₹ 8,000/- |
| Innovators | ₹ 25,000/- | ₹ 16,000/- | ₹ 10,000/- |