38 teams to take part in Robocon-08

Robocon 2008, the annual event organised by the Maharashtra Institute of Technology and Doordarshan, will be held on March 8-9 on the MIT campus in Pune.

Thirty-eight teams from across the country, including VJTI, Mumbai, IITs and regional engineering colleges, are taking part in this year's contest, said Rahul Karad, executive director, MIT Group of Institutions.

"There is increasing awareness about the importance of robotics in the background of automation for cost efficiency and accuracy in industrial production," he said.

The winner would represent India in the international contest, which will be held in August this year in Pune itself. The winning team will get a grant of $1,500 to prepare for the finals.

MIT has raised Rs 70 lakh through sponsorships and other sources and another Rs 2.4 crore through the Asian Union for the international finals.

The theme for this year's international event is 'Mission Govinda' where a human pyramid is built to steal the butter in the earthen pot hanging high tied to a rope.