This was jointly announced by Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai, AIT Vice
President for Resources Development; Dr. Jackrit Suthakorn, President
of Thai Robotics Society; Mr.
Jeffrey D. Nygaard, Vice President and Country Manager, Thailand
Operations, Seagate Technology (Thailand) Ltd., and Dr. Manukid
Parnichkun, Chairman of the Organizing Committee.
Watch video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNPNf1qeHI4
The BicyRobo championship aims at developing an unmanned bicycle
capable of maintaining its own balance without falling. The bicycle
must be able to keep running by itself, right from the starting point
to the final destination while traversing a route through a defined
path.
The competition will be divided into two rounds. In the first round to
be held in June, the challenge is to develop a bicyrobo that can run on
the required route at the fastest pace and cover the most distance. In
the final round in August, the competitors must develop a bicyrobo
which run on the required route until the time is over or until a
winner is decided. In this round, two bicycles will be released at the
same time at different starting points (situated equidistant from each
other). The team that surges ahead by a distance of 50 metres shall be
declared a winner. In case there is no winner, the champion shall be
judged from the maximum distance traversed by the bicycle.
Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai says that following the success of the
unmanned intelligent car competitions, AIT is very pleased to join
hands with the Thai Robotics Society and Seagate.
“The objective of this competition is to provide a new platform to
organize the event for the first time in Thailand and in the world.
Controlling a two-wheeled bicycle is not easy and the Thai Robotics
Society is proud to organize this competition,” says Dr. Suthakorn. The
BicyRobo competition, which is a continuation of the robot competition,
is a key component in the national robotics strategic promotion, says
Dr. Suthakorn.
Mr. Jeffrey D. Nygaard says, “The main objective is to provide an
opportunity to the new generation to showcase their ability in both
academic and practical aspects.” Seagate expects them to become a role
model to other youth by showcasing their talent and creativity. The
competition is in line with Seagate’s policy to protect our
environment, since bicycle riding saves energy and helps in reducing
global warming. “We are happy to continue our support to this kind of
activity by working together with both Thai Robotics Society and AIT,”
he adds.
Dr. Manukid Parnichkun, Chairman of the Organizing Committee, and
Coordinator, Mechatronics Field of Study at AIT’s School of Engineering
and Technology, said the bicyrobo must be able to move on its own from
the starting point, passing the required route towards the destination
without the rider.
Seagate will award 150,000 Baht to the champion and 100,000 Baht to
the runner-up. The best technique and the most creative idea will get a
reward of 50,000 Baht each. The team with the highest score among the
16 finalists will receive 20,000 Baht. Teams can apply till 19 March
2010. The members of each team, consisting of three students and one
faculty advisor, must be vocational students, undergraduate students,
graduate students, or doctoral students. Interested persons can apply,
register, view the rules, and obtain further information at the BicyRobo Thailand Championship
website.
