Mathworks, France in association with Maker Fair Paris organised a Mars
rover robot simulation competition at the Maker Fair Paris on 21st of June
2014. The competition was a part of the two day Maker fair exhibition.
Maker fair is an internationally recognised event which showcases workshops,
presentations and conferences on the theme of creativity, production and
motion Do it Yourself (Do it yourself). It is an event for all fans of
technology, craftsmen, educators, inventors, hobbyists, engineers, science
clubs, authors, students and artists. It was hosted at a famous cultural
centre in Paris named Le Centquatre, Paris which extends over an exhibition
space of about 3 Lakh Square Feet.
The competition was open to all age groups. It comprised of
a demo Mars field and 3-D printed Mars rover robots. The mars rover robot
was supposed to traverse a number of sites on the field in the minimum
time possible. The aim of the competition was to optimize and program the
algorithm used by robots to carry out their mission. The number and the
position of the sites were changed after each round. We were amongst the
top 12 teams internationally selected for the finals at Paris. A total
of 90 teams competed against each other for a time trial. At the finals
we stood 2nd in the initial time trail round and 6th in the following round.