In August 2023, Vietnam Television (VTV) was awarded the rights to host ABU Robocon 2024. This marks the fourth time that VTV has hosted the international event.
The ABU Robocon 2024 competition is scheduled to take place in Ha Long City, Quang Ninh Province, Vietnam. The theme of the competition, "Harvest Day", is inspired by terraced rice cultivation.
Ms. Le Hai Anh, Head of the Scientific and Educational Program Department at Vietnam Television, stated: "Vietnam Television is delighted to host ABU Robocon in 2024. We have chosen Ha Long City, Quang Ninh Province, as the venue for this event. Ha Long is home to Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its stunning natural landscapes. We hope that participating teams will have a meaningful time in Vietnam".
Following the announcement of the theme during a meeting among producers of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), Vietnam's competition theme received high praise from countries and territories in the region.
Mr. Yasu Nagahata, Program Director of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union, commented: "This is an excellent theme, showcasing the unique rice culture of Vietnam and other countries in the region".
The theme of ABU Robocon 2024
For centuries, rice has been intertwined with the lives of the Vietnamese people, symbolizing not only sustenance but also cultural beauty. Today, rice serves as both a vital food source and a strategic export commodity for Vietnam.
A unique form of traditional farming in Vietnam's highlands is the terraced rice fields.
People choose hillsides and mountains to create flat terraces for cultivating crops such as rice. The purpose of terracing is to prevent erosion, improve land quality, and protect the soil.
These terraced fields are not only beautiful but also serve as the "rice basket" for the people of the highlands, utilizing natural conditions to effectively exploit and cultivate, ensuring a prosperous life.
Inspired by the cultivation on terraced fields, the theme of ABU Robocon 2024 in Vietnam has devised robot tasks illustrating stages of rice cultivation: sowing seeds, harvesting, and transporting rice to the warehouse, conveying the message "Efficient farming ensures a prosperous life for all". Terraced fields have become a cultural attraction, instilling pride in Vietnamese people and drawing tourists from both domestic and international destinations.
With this significance in mind, this year's competition emphasizes intelligent solutions capable of color recognition and stable operation on diverse terrains of the arena.
Competition Rules
Matches are played between two teams within a 3-minute timeframe. Each team consists of 2 robots: Robot 1 and Robot 2.
The competition arena is divided into three zones: Zone 1, Zone 2, and Zone 3.
Zone 1 includes: the Starting Area; the Seedling Shelf, with 12 bundles of seedlings for each team; and the Sowing Area.
Zone 2 comprises: the Restart Point; the Water Canal; and the Harvest Area: with 6 grains of rice and 6 grains of paddy rice available for each team.
Zone 3 consists of: the Grain Storage Area; the Silo Area with 5 tubes. In Zone 3, there are 6 grains of rice and 10 grains of paddy rice placed in the grain storage for each team.
At the start of the match, the robots will go to the Rice Seedling Tray in Zone 1 to collect rice seedlings, which they then plant in the Seeding Area. Each successful planting of a rice seedling earns the team 10 points.
In Zone 2, the robots will retrieve rice grains and rice husks from the Harvesting Area and transport them to the Grain Storage Area in Zone 3 as follows: one rice husk and one standard rice grain. Each successful transfer earns the team 10 points. However, the amount of rice grains harvested by the robot cannot exceed the number of rice seedlings planted in Zone 1.
At Zone 3, Robot 2 harvests rice and transfers it to the silos for rice storage. If Robot 2 successfully drops a rice grain into the tube, it scores 30 points.
The match will end when a team completes the task of getting rice into the silos and meets the following conditions:
+ Successfully release the team's rice grains into a minimum of 3 silos.
+ The silos must be filled with rice grains and contain a minimum of 2 rice grains from the team.
+ The team's rice grains must be in the top position.
At that point, the team will achieve an absolute victory called "Golden Harvest".
Schedule of Robocon Vietnam 2024
The Vietnam Robot Creation Competition - Robocon Vietnam 2024 willinvolve 64 teams from 23 universities, colleges, and technical schools nationwide.
Unlike previous seasons, in this year's competition, teams will not participate in regional qualifiers. Instead, the Organizing Committee will evaluate the teams' performance based on the results of robot activities in the preliminary round.
From May 4th to May 5th, participating teams will gather at the Tây Hồ Cultural, Information, and Sports Center, 101 Xuân La Street, Xuân La Ward, Tây Hồ District, Hanoi, to participate in the preliminary round. Then, teams will demonstrate their ability to score and complete the exam paper on the standard competition field, without competition matches.
The Organizing Committee will announce the results and publish the list of the 32 teamsthat have qualified for the national finals. Representatives of the 32 teams will then draw lots to determine the groups for the final round.
From May 7th to May 12th, the 32 selected teams will compete in the final round to determine the representative of Vietnam to compete in ABU Robocon 2024, which will take place in August in Quang Ninh.
For detailed information on the competition, participating teams can visit the official website of Robocon Vietnam 2024 at: robocon2024.vtv.gov.vn.
