Mission Statement of Yantra:
The mission is to create a platform that aims to encourage interdisciplinary cross-pollination among the creative and technical fields with a focus on learning and exchange. Each Edition of Yantra features Robotics competitions, workshops, art-tech exhibition and other multidisciplinary programs. The theme of Yantra 5.0 is “Agro-Innovation.”
Organizer
Robotics Association Of Nepal (RAN):
Robotics Association Of Nepal (RAN) is a not-for-profit organization that provides an outstanding platform for students and tech enthusiasts all over Nepal. RAN seeks to promote, educate and get more Nepalese to explore the field of robotics, electronics automation, and makers. RAN initiated maker education system in Nepal in 2011 through the hands-on training and workshops about robotics and electronics automation. Each year, RAN has taken a new initiation for the betterment of the education system in Nepal. On 2016, RAN initiated a campaign “Miss-Tech” with the tag, women for women. Through Miss Tech, we expect in the increment in the participation of women in the field of technology. We are working for women empowerment in the field of science, technology, programming, and robotics.
RAN has been organizing an Annual National Level Robotics Competition as part of Yantra for the last four years. Leading up to the event, it provides knowledge of programming and electronics through robotics workshops. The workshops are targeted at engineering, high schools, and secondary school students. The organization has developed the platform to the level it is today through its continuous effort and collaborative approach with different organizations, companies, and groups.
Co-organizer
Bikalpa Art Centre (BAC):
Bikalpa Art Centre is one of the very infrequent institutions that recognize the significance of art, culture, and civilization. As the name itself symbolizes, it’s a hub, a shared space where art lovers and enthusiasts can put into practice their imaginations.
About Yantra 5.0 Art Tech Science Festival 2016:
There are following five major programs under the umbrella of Yantra 5.0 Art Tech Science Festival 2016.
International Robotics Competition:
The robotics competition has three major categories.
- Krishak Copter:
Krishak Copter is the main event of Yantra 5.0, International Robotics competition. The participants of Krishak Copter should design and develop a quadcopter that could spray pesticide in the field. The quad-copter should be supportive to the farmer and hence is named as krishak copter.
- Yantra Racer:
This is the entry level competition for participants under the age of 20. Participants have to build an automatic white line tracking robot which should later be controlled manually through mobile app and race with others. The robot should pass through slopes and tough path to reach the destination.
- Yantra Akhada:
- Manual Akhada:
This is an open competition, like a sumo wrestling, one manual robot has to push other out of the game arena. The size of the robot would be approximately double of that participated last year so that we could provide participants with a platform to showcase their creativity in a bigger dimension.
- Automatic Akhada:
This is also an open competition, like a sumo wrestling, where the robot has to push other out of the game arena without human intervention.
The theme of all robotics competitions this year is based on Agriculture and how those robots could be used to enhance the agriculture sector.
Art and Tech Exhibition:
The objective of this program in Yantra 5.0 is to create a platform for artist and engineers to collaborate and come up with a creative approach. The final work for art and tech exhibition would be to showcase, how the collaboration of technology and art could enhance the livelihood of farmers with a disability. The organizing team is working for the collaboration between performance artist and professional engineers.
Paper Presentation:
With the constant researches and advancements in robotics and electronics automation globally, many scientists have researched and developed effective ways to implement such technology in other fields. The object of this program under Yantra 5.0 is to enhance and encourage such researchers and scientists working on Agriculture sector to present their research paper in front of investors, entrepreneurs and international delegates. The documents submitted would be published in the international journal publication.
Yantra Learning:
Yantra Learning is one of the new programs added this year under the umbrella of Yantra for Agricultural disaster response. It is a software competition where programmers develop software project that can make the Yantra (machine) learn from external environments, past data and patterns to decide as per the current situation. The theme of Yantra Learning is to design and develop algorithms and software that can predict an alert about the possibility of an upcoming natural disaster using present and past data to improve the productivity of Farmers.
Creative Computing:
This is one of the innovative approaches to have a productive interaction of professionals working in technology and those who are working in non-tech fields. The possible participants for this program would be artists, doctors, and bankers. The professional educators and makers would be conducting this session to encourage artists, doctors, and bankers to use technology for the effective execution of the tasks they are performing to explore the impact of technology in their day to day activities.
Yantra Kids:
Yantra has been a platform for multidisciplinary sectors and prioritizes involvement of Children in the pathway of technological. Our mission of technology transfer always focuses on Kids. Design Challenge will be organized after giving hands-on knowledge on design thinking, prototyping, tinkering through training and workshops on electronics components, coding, etc. Design Challenge will be focused on Agro-based outcome.
Yantra Incubation:
Yantra has been the platform for showcasing the talents, competing against the fellow robot makers, experimenting the Art-tech integration and starting the new dimensions to the existing science with innovative, practical ways. The winners of the National Robotics Competition has been awarded the monetary value but not the next step. Yantra Incubation will break the traditional ecosystem of Yantra and give the winners, and best project showcased during Art, Tech and Science festival to work for finding solutions to the local problems in Agriculture. The focus area would be an identification of the feasible solution to the existing Agro- problem, developing a prototype, business model development and market analysis, mass product development and a tech start-up. At least three projects will go through Yantra Incubation for the next 12 months.
Why Yantra?
We care about our supporter:
Yantra has always been sponsorship driven event where we expect the high number of sponsors to support. We care about our sponsor’s visibility through maximum promotion through all our media, print paper, event details, campaign, post-event promotion. This synergetic nature of Yantra committee has always seen a huge turnout of supporters because we care about you!
Community Driven:
Yantra started with the vision of supporting the engineering community and providing the platform to the tinkerers, hobbyist, Robot lovers and Makers. Since its inception, 244 teams have been able to compete and showcase their Robot making skills. The professional artist working on traditional art has been able to give a new dimension to art through technology. Community focused Yantra could provide you with access to these community and help in building the network. Supporting this event will eventually help this community to grow and move forward for the development of Nepal.
Problem Solving approach:
The fifth iteration of the Yantra will see a problem-solving approach to the existing issues in Agriculture. Krishicopter will help farmers to increase their productivity using the drone. Yantra learning will focus on bringing in AI solutions to the local Agro-problems. Local problem Local Innovation Global impact is how the Yantra is driven with.
Strengths:
Yantra Flagship event for RAN with the novel approach the most significant advantage will be the innovative naive nature of the game. The exhibits ability to interact directly with the audience will also be a significant strength. This interaction will be away with misconceptions held by many lay viewers that art is exclusive and inaccessible. By presenting action based on viewer input the exhibits will accentuate intuition over reflection.
Yantra, since last five years, has refined itself through different challenges during execution. Learned from different challenges we faced. The event has improvised itself and enhanced as per the need from its direct and indirect visitors.
Additionally, The concept-note-of-yantra-5-0 will observe that exhibits that incorporated traditional designs and subject matters will be especially appealing to lay viewers. Guided tours will another helpful and effective medium for controlling viewer perception and their engagement with each piece.
Last year’s learning from the challenges They have faced so far will be their strength to make the event better.