Metropolitan cities in India support large human settlements. People from rural and semi-urban areas flock to these cities in search of livelihood and better living conditions. However, rapid population growth and urbanisation gradually render cities to crumble. Every monsoon, we hear stories of heavy rains halting normal life in Bangalore and Hyderabad; the infamous pollution levels of Delhi.

We stop to dust the couches inside our home, but fail to notice the piling garbage blocking the city drains; we water plants in our gardens, but never consider the felling of trees across the city to make way for skyscrapers. Blocked sewages, poor waste management, pollution, etc. are some of the major issues plaguing the Indian cities. Also, manual scavenging is one of the ugly truths of India. We often fail to see the bigger picture. The need of the hour is to address these problems, which affect not only the society at large but also our individual lives; and also propel the present generation to ponder over them. The RoboticsLab team of Next Education invites young volunteers to design a robot which can address some of these pressing issues in Indian cities.

Attuned to the Swachh Bharat Mission, this competition invites students to design remote-controlled robots which will be able to plant trees, set up sewage pipelines, and sort wastes and garbage. The students also need to design a maze and programme their robots to move through the maze and perform the tasks assigned to it within a stipulated time of three minutes.

In recent years, India has witnessed rapid urbanisation. It's about time policymakers rethink and redevelop urban spaces not only as booming economic hubs, but also as environmentally sustainable spaces with basic amenities of life that are accessible to all denizens.

Air pollution, unclean water, power cuts etc. are some of the problems marring the quality of life in cities. For instance, more youths in urban centres of India are being afflicted by health issues such as respiratory problems. Frequent power cuts affect productivity at workplaces, schools and colleges. The enormity of these challenges is such that we can no longer turn a blind eye to these issues.

There is an immediate need to install air purifiers in public places such as traffic signals; conserve and renew energy resources; and save water. It is the need of the hour to implement a plan of action which will ensure safe shelter, energy conservation, proper sanitation, waste management, and water conservation in urban centres across the country. The urban ecosystems should not only be characterised by environmental sustainability, but should also be socially inclusive.

Technology, which has gratified the human race with so many inventions and innovations, has the potential of building a smart city and providing city dwellers with a superior quality of life.

The RoboticsLab team of Next Education invites young volunteers, from across the country, to rise up to the occasion and design a robot which can address some of these pressing concerns of Indian cities. The robot should be completely automatic and should be able to employ smart navigation tools to navigate through a model of a city and perform a series of tasks such as installing air purifiers and efficient solar panels, and setting up and activating Wi-Fi zones.The robot should be able to perform its designated tasks within a stipulated time of three minutes.