Abu Dhabi gears up for grand finale of Mohamed Bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge

After two years of intense competition, five international finalists have travelled to Abu Dhabi for the final live demonstration phase of the Mohamed Bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge (MBZIRC).

The five finalists will showcase autonomous robotic solutions for critical, real-world problems faced by the maritime sector, with a chance to win a first-place prize of $2 million – from a total pot of $3.25 million.

MBZIRC is an international robotics competition held every two years, drawing participation from universities, research institutions, companies, and individual innovators from around the world to develop solutions to pressing global challenges.

The Mohamed Bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge (MBZIRC) is organized by ASPIRE, the business development and program management pillar of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC).

The five international finalists announced by ASPIRE are FLY EAGLE (China, the UAE), UNIZG-FER (Croatia), ROC (Denmark, Sweden), WARSAW MIMOTAURS (Poland), and TEAM KAIST (Republic of Korea). Each team has successfully passed white-paper and simulation phases of the competition, a process that began in October 2021.

The MBZIRC Grand Maritime Challenge nurtures international talent supports cutting-edge innovation and focuses on solving real-world problems through the material application of autonomous robotics technology.

It is the first experiment of its kind, designed specifically to push the frontier and to drive collaboration between unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned surface vehicles. This edition will address critical, real-world issues that are impacting the maritime sector today.

Finalist teams have assembled on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. Many contestants have never travelled to the United Arab Emirates or internationally until this opportunity.