Our Team in the Top Ten at the University Rover Challenge 2026

The competition is intended for mobile robots modelled on Mars rovers, i.e. multifunctional and modular structures capable of performing complex tasks in demanding terrain. This year’s edition attracted 116 teams from around the world, including KNR Rover Team, which develops the project as part of the Students’ Robotics Association operating at the Faculty of Power and Aeronautical Engineering of Warsaw University of Technology.

From among all the registered teams, KNR Rover Team qualified as one of 38 finalists, earning a place in the competition held in the Utah desert.

Tasks for the rover

During the final, HAL-062, the rover developed by KNR Rover Team, competed in four missions: Autonomous Navigation Mission, Equipment Servicing Mission, Delivery Mission and Science Mission. Each of them has a different nature and requires considerable versatility from both the rovers and the teams.

The Autonomous Navigation Mission involves autonomous traversal of a route leading to various targets. In the first part of the task, the rover must reach several points designated by GNSS coordinates with very high precision. Then, in the second stage, the robot autonomously searches a new environment for special objects, such as a hammer or a bottle, to report their location to base.

The Equipment Servicing Mission tests the precision of the manipulator and the skills of its operators. The rover approaches a specially prepared test lander, where it performs tasks requiring high accuracy, including switching levers, opening latches and typing text on a keyboard connected to the lander.

The Delivery Mission primarily tests the range and quality of robot teleoperation over long distances. The task lasts up to one hour, during which the rover moves between distant GNSS points, completing successive stages of a complex task. For example, in the first stage, it must search a designated area for fragments of a crashed lander and collect them in a container on the rover, so that they can be delivered to an astronaut in the next stage.

The Science Mission is different from the others. It involves conducting geological and chemical research to determine whether life could have existed, or may exist, in the area under examination. First, data are collected to assess environmental conditions, including whether water may once have been present in the region. Then, at a selected location, drilling is carried out to collect a soil sample. The sample is subjected to a series of chemical experiments that make it possible to assess the potential for life in a given area.

Throughout the competition, the 17-member team fought for every point, demonstrating a high level of technical and organisational preparation. The team consisted of students from the Faculty of Power and Aeronautical Engineering (Jakub Żak, Olgierd Iwaniuk, Mikołaj Stasiak and Tomasz Chyliński), the Faculty of Electrical Engineering (Beniamin Raczyński and Mateusz Moskwin), the Faculty of Electronics and Information Technology (Dominik Chmielak, Igor Cieślikowski, Marcel Zawadzki, Mateusz Sosnowski, Michał Paradowski and Miłosz Piecha), the Faculty of Mechatronics (Igor Osowski, Michał Wywiał and Yurii Mironov) and the Faculty of Mathematics and Information Science (Jakub Warkocki and Krzysztof Tkaczyk).

HAL-062 rover

What can HAL-062 do?

When talking about the team, it is impossible not to mention its flagship project – the HAL-062 rover. It is a modular off-road mobile platform which, thanks to its universal design, can be easily adapted to perform a wide range of tasks.

HAL-062 is equipped with Rocker-Bogie suspension, which maximises its off-road capabilities and enables it to move efficiently in demanding environments. Its proven six-degree-of-freedom manipulator demonstrates excellent performance both in precise operations, such as switching small levers, and in lifting rocks over a dozen centimetres in diameter.

A modern laboratory module makes it possible to drill to a depth of up to 10 cm, store collected samples, dose chemical reagents and analyse materials using a spectrometer constructed by the team itself.

A rotating mast with a directional antenna increases the robot’s communication range, while an advanced digital vision system, supported by a dedicated suite of software for managing and controlling the platform, enables complex tasks to be carried out even from distances exceeding 1.5 km.

An innovative autonomy module, based on continuously developed packages implementing Visual SLAM algorithms, enables efficient navigation in difficult and unknown terrain. Autonomous mode allows the rover to move independently to indicated GNSS coordinates, search designated areas for specified objects and dynamically analyse its surroundings in order to plan and execute its route optimally.

This year’s success of KNR Rover Team confirms the high level of competence of Warsaw University of Technology students and the effectiveness of many months of work on developing the HAL-062 rover. Securing a place in the world’s top ten and the title of the best European team is not only a source of pride, but also motivation to continue improving the design and developing technologies that may in the future be applied in both space exploration and advanced robotic systems on Earth.