The Faculty of Automation and Computers, Politehnica University Timișoara, is organizing a new edition of the Space Engineering Challenge (SEC), taking place on 6–8 November 2026.
The competition is dedicated to high school and university student teams interested in robotics, automation, autonomous systems, and space-inspired engineering challenges.
This year’s edition brings the challenge into a real testing environment: Românești Cave, Timiș County. Under the theme “From point clouds to pathfinding: conquer the cave”, participants will be challenged to design and develop a robotic system capable of completing a mission in a cave environment.
The task will require teams to combine skills in localization, perception, navigation, mechanical design, embedded systems, communication, and software development.
Teams will receive a LiDAR / point-cloud map of the environment that can be used for localization and path planning. During the mission, the robots will need to identify, collect, and transport designated objects from the competition area, while dealing with the constraints of a real and technically demanding environment.
Who can participate?
The competition includes two categories:
- High School Section – for teams of high school students from Romania, accompanied by a mentor;
- University Section – for undergraduate students from universities in Romania or abroad.
Each team consists of two or three students and one mentor.
The official language of the competition is English, including technical documentation, proposals, and presentations.
Why take part in SEC?
The Space Engineering Challenge is more than a robotics competition. It is an opportunity to work on a complex engineering problem, test ideas outside the laboratory, collaborate in multidisciplinary teams, and turn theoretical knowledge into a functioning real-world system.
Participants will have the chance to explore topics such as robotics, autonomous navigation, embedded systems, software development, electronics, mechanics, and system integration while working under realistic technical constraints.
Competition dates: 6–8 November 2026
Location: Românești Cave, Timiș County, Romania
For the official rules, registration information, technical requirements, deadlines, and the latest updates, please visit the official Space Engineering Challenge website: https://sec.ac.upt.ro/2026/
Ready to take on the challenge?
SEC is about more than building a robot. It is about testing your ideas, solving problems that do not have obvious answers, and discovering how far a strong team, a good technical solution, and a bit of courage can take you.
Build. Test. Explore. Conquer the cave.
Your next engineering challenge starts here.
Space Engineering Challenge 2026 is organized by the Faculty of Automation and Computers (Politehnica University Timișoara) in collaboration with industry and academic partners.