Introduction
Since 2015, 384 teams from local primary and secondary schools participated in the Underwater Robot Competition which were launched by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). With enthusiastic responses, the Workshop and Competition will be held on 1 – 2 May 2026 on HKUST Campus.
Target
Student
Primary 4 to Secondary 3 students with passion in science and technology can join. They can be:
- Mainstream students
- Students with Special Educational Needs (SEN)
- Underprivileged students, and
- Ethnic minorities students
Teacher
Teachers who do not have knowledge and experience in robotics are welcome to join our competition. Knowledge and experiences in robotics are not required for both teachers and school teams.
Combinations of Students in a Mixed School Team
Each school can apply for the Competition with ONE TEAM WITH FOUR STUDENTS IN MINIMUM AND FIVE STUDENTS IN MAXIMUM.
AT LEAST TWO MEMBERS should have different backgrounds from others in the team. And each team should fulfill at least TWO OF THE PREREQUISITES below:
- Different gender
- Different grade
- Students with Special Educational Needs (SEN)
- Ethnic minorities students
- Underprivileged students
List of participants cannot be changed after the deadline for submission of team list.
Mode of Activities
The competition consists of 2 stages: Workshop & Competition. Materials and tools will be provided to school teams.
Workshop
- School teams have to attend the Workshop held in HKUST Campus
- Trainings on Basic knowledge of underwater robotics, Robot Design and Control are included
Competition
- After the Workshop, school teams will proceed to the Competition which will be held at HKUST on the same day
- Inter-school Competition and Joint School Competition will be included in this stage
- School teams have to attend the competition on ONLY one of the designated days.
- School teams will have to compete a series of missions
Application
Link: https://ust.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1OdmIUpcqfVNiDQ
Deadline: 23:59, Fri, 27 Feb 2026
Key Dates
| Month | Date | Activities |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 2026 | 16:00, Mon, 9 Feb 2026 |
Online Information Session |
| 23:59, Fri, 27 Feb 2026 | Application Deadline | |
| Mar 2026 | Fri, 6 Mar 2026 | Announcement of Balloting Result |
| May 2026 | Fri, 1 May 2026 | Workshop & Competition |
| Sat, 2 May 2026 |
Workshop & Competition |