RoboCup 2026 in Incheon: New Paths for Industrial Robotics
At RoboCup 2026 in Incheon, South Korea, teams from around the world came together to present their solutions in robotics and artificial intelligence. For the first time, the new Smart Manufacturing League was also part of the competition. It combines the former RoboCup Logistics and RoboCup@Work leagues and is intended to represent the diverse processes of a modern factory in the future.
Unfortunately, Team robOTTO was unable to participate in this year's World Championship with its robot due to a lack of funding. Nevertheless, the team was represented in Incheon. Team member Franzi travelled to South Korea as Chair of the Organizing Committee of the Smart Manufacturing League, with financial support from the RoboCup Federation. The merger of the two former leagues in particular required extensive organizational work on site.
During workshops, the participating teams brought together their experiences and ideas for further developing the new league. Together, they discussed which tasks should become part of the competition in the future, how points should be awarded, and how the competition itself could be structured. In addition, a new Technical Committee, a new Organizing Committee and a new Executive Committee were elected.
A particular priority for Team robOTTO was the development of an Industrial Pathway Competition. It is intended to help young people from RoboCupJunior make the transition into the industrial sector while also providing an entry point for undergraduate students in their first semesters, for whom the Major League is still too complex. The concept includes mixed teams of school students and university students, as well as joint team challenges with experienced Major teams.
For Team robOTTO supporting this Pathway Competition is particularly important because promoting young talent in STEM is a fundamental part of our identity. Young people should have the opportunity to experience robotics hands-on from an early stage, contribute their own ideas, and gradually grow into more demanding competition formats.
The new Smart Manufacturing League featured teams from South Korea, Japan, Brazil, Singapore, Aachen, and Schweinfurt. The South Korean team delivered a particularly impressive performance and took first place. They were followed by the team from Singapore and the German team from Schweinfurt.
The World Championship brought Team robOTTO many new ideas, but also an important realization: our Euler robot platform is now 16 years old. To keep pace with current technological developments, the team now needs to rethink its setup and explore how the platform can be modernized or supplemented. This is why we are looking for support: Are there robots, robotic arms, or other suitable components available at the university that could be used as part of a collaboration? Would you be interested in contributing on a technical, organizational, or financial level? If so, we would be delighted to hear from you at .
Team robOTTO is open to ideas and new partnerships — because we want to continue contributing to the Smart Manufacturing League with enthusiasm and help shape the future of industrial robotics together.
