Ibadan, 21 September 2023. – Switzerland representatives: FHNW Rover Team and EPFL Xplore place second and third at the 9th edition of the prestigious European Rover Challenge space robotics competition. After intense competition on the world’s largest artificial Marsyard, team AGH Space Systems from Poland emerged as the best robotic team, meeting the rigorous demands of the jury. In addition, participants underwent a certification process confirming their knowledge and skills for the first time in competition history.
Furthermore, the exciting rivalry of teams from around the world accompanied numerous attractions and surprises, including a meeting with the ESA astronaut Sławosz Uznański, an outdoor cinema, sky observations, and the opportunity to control rovers, drones, and walking robots. Thirty-five of the world’s best academic teams from almost all continents participated in the finals. This year’s edition took place in two formulas: 20 teams competed on-site, while 15 took part remotely from the farthest corners of the globe. The tasks prepared by the organizers posed significant obstacles for the teams this year. Significantly, the geological puzzle turned out to be so complex that only a few teams managed to solve it. Meanwhile, the terrain’s formation caused significant difficulties for the rovers.
The two teams that won the 1st prizes in the competition were AGH Space Systems from Poland (ON-SITE formula) and Makercie from the Netherlands (REMOTE formula). The other teams on the podium were the FNHW Rover Team from Switzerland and DJS Antariksh from India in second place. EPFL Xplore from Switzerland and ProjectRED from Italy closed the podium in third place.
