In the Future Engineers category, teams develop an autonomous robotic car which drives through a random 3m x 3m parcours. This category is a special challenge as the terrain is assembled at random before each of the four competition runs.

The task is to build and program an autonomous robotic car which can drive through the parcours on its own. The robot must drive on four wheels and two axles and use a camera to navigate the terrain. The goal is for the robot to complete three rounds without errors.

• Programming language and hardware: your choice.
• Chassis und components: Teams can use complete chassis construction kits and robotics kits, or use individual components such as controllers, sensors, building materials and elements from a 3D printer.
• Motors: The number of motors is limited to one drive motor and one motor (or two mechanically coupled cotors) for steering.
• Communication: Only cable connections are allowed; wireless connections are not allowed.

The development process includes the selection and integration of electronic components, the contruction of the chassis, programming the steering algorithms amd comprehensive tests and improvements. The teams document this process in detail.

On competition day, the teams bring a printout of their documentaion which describes all technical information and the development process- This documentation is complemented by two short videos showing the robot in action. This documentation is evaluated by the jury.

The jury uses the following criteria in their evaluation.

• Techological innovation and creativity: How innovative and creative are the solutions?
• Quality of the documentaion: How well and how comprehensive is the development process documented?
• Performance of the robot on the parcours: How successful is the robot in solving the task?
• Teamwork and problem solving skills: How well do the team members cooperate with each other, and how effective are they in solving problems?

This category promotes not only technological and problem solving skills, but also creativity and teamwork. You can find the rules and regulations in the Season 2024 rules, which we have been given by our partners in Germany (currently only available in German). The rules for 2025 will be available here from January 15.

The Future Engineers category is open to teenagers and young adults aged 14 to 22, i.e. born between 2023 and 2011. There is only one agre group, and all participants solve the same task.