How I Competed and Won the First Module at NERC — Pakistan’s Premier Robotics Contest

Source: Dev.to

Introduction

The National Engineering Robotics Contest (NERC) is one of Pakistan’s most prestigious robotics competitions. Organized annually at NUST College of Electrical & Mechanical Engineering (CEME), NERC brings together engineering students from across the country to test their skills in robotics, logic building, and real‑time problem solving.

Participating in Mini NERC and winning the first module was a defining moment in my robotics journey. This article shares what NERC is about, what the competition demands, and what I learned from the experience.

What is NERC?

The National Engineering Robotics Contest (NERC) is a large‑scale robotics event designed to promote innovation, teamwork, and practical engineering skills.

It features multiple categories, including:

• Autonomous and semi‑autonomous robots
• Line following and navigation challenges
• Competitive robot battles and races
• Task‑based and logic‑driven challenges

Each category pushes teams to design robots that are not only functional, but reliable under pressure.

Mini NERC: My Entry into Competitive Robotics

Mini NERC serves as a smaller but intense version of the main competition. It introduces participants to:

• Competition rules and scoring
• Real‑time performance evaluation
• Hardware and logic constraints
• Time and stress management

For me, Mini NERC was the first time I truly experienced robotics outside a lab environment.

Understanding the First Module

The first module focused on fundamental robotics skills, including:

• Accurate line following
• Handling turns and junctions
• Stable motion control
• Logical decision‑making

Although it looked simple, even small logic errors could lead to complete failure.

Our Approach

Instead of chasing maximum speed, we focused on structured and predictable logic.

Key design choices:

• Clear sensor state definitions
• Priority‑based decision handling
• Controlled speed for stability
• Extensive testing under realistic conditions

This allowed our robot to behave consistently throughout the run.

Challenges We Faced

Some of the challenges we encountered were:

• Sensor noise causing false detections
• Timing mismatches during turns
• Minor alignment errors at higher speeds

We addressed these by:

• Adding debouncing logic
• Simplifying control flow
• Tuning delays carefully

These changes significantly improved reliability.

Winning the First Module

During the final run, the robot:

• Followed the line smoothly
• Handled junctions without confusion
• Completed the module reliably

Securing first position in the first module of Mini NERC validated our focus on clean logic and preparation.

What NERC Taught Me

Participating in NERC taught me that:

• Robotics is more about thinking than hardware
• Simple, clean logic outperforms complex systems
• Reliability matters more than aggressive performance
• Team coordination is as important as technical skill

These lessons now guide how I approach all robotics and embedded systems projects.

Why NERC Matters for Engineering Students

NERC provides students with:

• Real‑world engineering challenges
• Exposure to competitive robotics
• Opportunities to learn under pressure
• A platform to showcase skills and creativity

It bridges the gap between academic learning and practical engineering.

Conclusion

Winning the first module at Mini NERC was more than a competition victory — it was a learning milestone.

NERC strengthened my foundation in robotic logic, embedded systems, and decision‑making, and motivated me to continue exploring advanced robotics and autonomous systems.