Pune: As many as 107 teams from across the country will fight it out to win the 13th edition of the National Robocon competition, which starts from Thursday.

Around 22 teams from Pune will be participating in the contest, the theme of which is ‘Nemcon: The festival wishing happiness and prosperity’.

The competition has been organised by Doordarshan in association with the MIT Academy of Engineering, Alandi.

The winner will represent India at the ABU International Robocon 2018 to be held in Vietnam later this year. Top engineering colleges, including the National Institute of Technology and the Indian Institutes of Technology, will be competing for the coveted award.

Robocon is a platform for budding engineers to enhance their skills in robotics and adapt with the fast-advancing technology.

This is not just a learning experience but also provides unparalleled exposure, the freedom to use technology and create a practical demonstration.

The concept of the ABU Robocon 2018 is based on an interesting folk game called shuttlecock throwing. The shuttlecock is an object made out of cotton balls or filled with rice husks, symbolizing prosperity and happiness.

Yogesh Bhalerao, director, MIT Academy of Engineering said at a news conference, "The game consists of an open field with a 15m bamboo stick planted in the middle. A bamboo ring is hung on top of the stick. The ring is covered in yellow and pink papers. Yellow represents the moon, while pink represents the sun."

The shuttlecock is hung by a string sewn to its centre. It is decorated with colorful cotton representing the colours of the rainbow. While playing, the player holds the end of the string to swing it clockwise before throwing and aims for the centre of the ring. If the shuttlecock makes it through the ring, the player wins. The flying shuttlecock depicts a flying dragon, symbolising human power and the universe.

In this spirit, teams of ABU Robocon 2018 are expected to design formidable robots and charismatic shuttlecocks.