We are proud to share the invited article “Robot Contests as a Catalyst for Robotics Science”, published in the Annual Review of Control, Robotics, and Autonomous Systems (2025). Authored by Pedro U. Lima, Carlos Azevedo, and Rodrigo Serra, this work reflects on the crucial role of robot contests in driving scientific progress and innovation in the field.
While traditional robotics research often emphasizes subsystem optimization or theoretical design, robot contests provide a unique platform for benchmarking complete robot systems. By encouraging integrated system development and tackling realistic challenges, competitions push the boundaries of what robots can achieve. The article discusses how these contests, when designed following best practices, stimulate progress across domains, strengthen education by promoting teamwork and problem-solving, and support technology transfer — with several notable spin-off companies originating from competition environments.
The paper surveys well-established robotics contests as sources of diverse approaches to performance assessment and best practices, while also introducing alternative formats such as cooperative competitions. In particular, it highlights the potential of these approaches to foster transferability across robotic platforms and tasks, supported by benchmarking metrics. A dedicated section also reflects on the role of the euROBIN Coopetitions as an innovative contribution to this evolving landscape.
Learn more about the scientific paper here: https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-control-022624-012944
Congratulations to the authors Pedro U. Lima, Carlos Azevedo, and Rodrigo Serra for this insightful contribution that underscores the importance of contests as catalysts for robotics research and innovation.