ABU Robocon, an annual handmade robot competition for university students in the Asia-Pacific region, celebrated its 21st anniversary on 21 August in New Delhi, India.

The contest was co-hosted by Doordarshan (DDI) and Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD). Due to the pandemic situation, it was held in an online format, as was the case last year.

Though held virtually, 13 university teams from 12 countries/regions got together through Zoom. As for the game rules, the Indian organisers took an idea from their traditional game of ‘Lagori’.

After heated matches, The Chinese University of Hong Kong won the Grand-Prix. This is their second time after 2019. Last year’s champion team, Institute Teknologi Sepulah Nopember of Indonesia, came second. The most prestigious award of all, the ABU Robocon Award, went to University of Electronic Science & Technology of China.

DDI broadcasted the contest live on their local channel and YouTube. China, Cambodia, Japan and Thailand live streamed the contest on digital platforms such as Facebook and Nico-Nico Video to reach out to millions of Robocon fans across the world.

At the end of the contest, next year’s host, the National Television of Cambodia (TVK), announced the new competition theme. The contest will be held in the city of Phnom Penh on 27 August 2023.

Contest outline and game rules: ABU Robocon 2023 Phnom Penh, Cambodia