ThetaShift Techfest IIT Bombay 2026
Techfest, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay)
📌About the Event
ThetaShift is a robotics competition organised as part of Techfest 2026 at IIT Bombay. Participants must design and build a manually controlled, wireless spherical robot capable of navigating challenging terrain and precision-based obstacles. Teams first compete at city-level zonals, with the top performers qualifying for the Grand Finale at IIT Bombay from 16–18 December 2026.
ℹ️ Event Details
- Category: Robotics / Hardware Engineering
- Mode: Offline
- Team Size: 1–4 members
- Qualifier Round: City Zonals across designated locations
- Grand Finale: IIT Bombay, Mumbai
- Challenge: Build a wireless spherical robot and navigate a 3m × 3m obstacle arena featuring sand, ramps, zig-zag barriers, narrow tracks, turns and other terrain challenges.
- Each team receives one 6-minute run to complete the course and maximise its score.
📅 Important Dates
- Grand Finale at IIT Bombay: 16–18 December 2026.
🎯 Eligibility & Rules
- Eligibilty:
- The competition is aimed at students interested in robotics, electronics and engineering.
- Participants may compete individually or in teams of up to 4 members.
- The robot must be spherical and wireless, with a diameter between 4 and 10 inches.
- The bot can be manually controlled using a joystick, remote or mobile device through Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
- The onboard electrical power supply must not exceed 24V DC.
- Ready-made LEGO components are not permitted, although ready-made gear assemblies may be used.
🏆 Benefits for the Participants
- Total Prize Pool: ₹1,00,000.
- Top zonal teams qualify to compete at the Techfest IIT Bombay Grand Finale.
- The top 5 teams at each zonal receive Certificates of Excellence.
- The top 3 teams in the Grand Finale receive Certificates of Excellence and compete for the prize money.