Junkyard Wars

Junkyard Wars will be held in three rounds testing all aspects of engineering i.e. theory, design and hands on expertise, with every coming round giving a closer feel to the final problem statement!

The first round will comprise of a set of objective questions covering the basics of engineering, workshop theory and practices. We will tentatively select around 20 teams for the next round.

The second round will be testing the contestants for design, application and hands on skills the format of which will be announced before the first round.

Finals involve manufacturing a machine from scrap sourced from a junkyard laden with old mopeds, scooters/scooties, wooden and metal furniture, electronic waste, air conditioners, electric motors (fans, pumps, etc), old generators, hydraulic and pneumatic actuators... The teams will be given 2 days' time and access to IIT Madras Workshop facility to build the solution to a problem statement which will be given to the finalists after the 2nd preliminaries. The machines will be tested on the 3rd day and the victorious team will be decided based on the performance of their machines.

Teams are required to register at the Shaastra site with a minimum of 3 and maximum 4 members.

However depending on the number of teams turning up for the event, we may allow a certain number of teams to take part on the spot. (But don't count on this and we sincerely advise you to register before hand.) register helpdesk

• Is there any restriction of participant being of any specific branch?
  Not at all. Its totally your skills that matter.



• Do I have to bring anything?
  No, everything required for the event will be provided by us. All we need is you.



• What kind of stuff do I need to know and do?
  Nothing really specific. A team consisting of good engineers great at workshop skills is bound to have a cakewalk! Though knowledge of IC engines and electric motors will really be convenient.



• Does the team have to be from the same college?
  No, We do not impose any such restriction.



• What about the safety during the finals?
  Well you have to be careful about what you are doing and how it is being done. Don't worry we will take care of it as much as we can. We will give you helmets, safety glasses, gloves etc. We prefer you wear old jeans and sport shoes or workshop uniform during the finals.



• What if some other team copies my ideas?
  We have a fair idea of what can be done and what has been done. If you look up the net and copy a few steps, we'll figure out. Not that we'll penalize you, but it will be at the back of our minds. So don't worry about copying and being copied, just be as creative in your design as possible, and as accurate with your implementation. At the end of the day, rule 1 is that it must work.



• What will be asked in first round prelims?
  You will be asked to solve an objective paper which will contain questions on general aptitude, logic & reasoning, and workshop knowledge.



• What will be the level of working and difficulty in the finals?
  Don't worry what ever we will ask u to do we will do it first ourselves. Being able to work with internal combustion engines, electric motors and getting them to perform various tasks will be enough.

Some typical final round sample problem statements might be:

    To build a portable moped, which fits into a suitcase of a given size.
    To construct an amphibious vehicle.
    To make a bulldozer that can demolish a brick wall!