It was a privilege to be a judge for the Tecnoxian 2024 event. Teams from Multiple countries participated in the event, held over four days at NOIDA Stadium between 24 and 27 August 2024. Witnessing the euphoric celebrations and heartbreaks of the participating teams during the three events (challenges) I judged, along with Gp Capt SK Mathur and Col Yadav, was quite an experience. The three events included RC-Plane, Drone Rescue Challenge, and Drone Soccer. 

      Of the three, the Drone Soccer was perhaps the most enjoyable one. 

     Interacting with judges from other countries was also a learning experience, and the competitive spirit displayed by the Azeri teams and their coaches indicated the high priority accorded by their respective governments for encouraging and popularising STE(A)M education through competitive sports in Robotics.

     It was clear that while there is no shortage of talent among Indian Students, they are most definitely handicapped by access to resources as most of the expenses have to be borne by them and their parents. Therefore, while the colleges, as far as Agartala and Tripura, sent the teams to participate, the expenditure on the equipment was borne by the team members themselves. 

      I fervently hope that subsequent editions of the event will continue to provide better facilities to the participants and use technology more effectively to make the events more competitive and memorable for all. A special shout out to Shri Raj Sharma and Mr Naveen Chhabra of AICRA ( All India Council for Robotics & Automation) for making it possible.