International Robot Olympiad Also to Be Held
Over 1,300 Elementary, Middle, and High School Students Nationwide to Participate
A festival where robot talents from around the world gather to compete in AI and robotics technology will be held in Daegu. From August 11 to 15, the city of Daegu will host both the 'FIRA RoboWorld Cup and Summit 2025' and the '2025 International Robot Olympiad Korea Finals' at Exco Daegu.
This event will provide a unique opportunity to experience both a global robot sports competition and the largest student robotics competition in Korea at the same venue.
The 'FIRA RoboWorld Cup and Summit,' celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, will feature around 900 promising young robotists from 17 countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Russia, China, Taiwan, Iran, and Brazil. They will engage in fierce competition with robots they have programmed themselves.
The competition consists of 46 events across four leagues: the 'Sports League' for bipedal autonomous robots, the 'Challenge League' featuring autonomous vehicles and startup competitions, the 'Air League' for indoor disaster rescue drone racing, and the 'Youth League' for creative youth challenges.
On August 14, at the height of the competition, the 'Summit' will be held, bringing together approximately 250 domestic and international robotics researchers and students to discuss robotics and AI policy proposals and international technology standards.
Meanwhile, the Federation of International Robot-soccer Association (FIRA), founded in 1996 by Professor Kim Jonghwan of KAIST, selects a host city each year from among its member countries. Following this year's event in Daegu, South Korea, next year's competition is scheduled to be held in Markham, Canada.
From August 11 to 14, the '2025 International Robot Olympiad Korea Finals' will also take place.
A total of 1,300 students from 766 elementary, middle, and high school teams nationwide will compete in 29 divisions across 10 events, including AI autonomous driving and robot athletics, showcasing the skills they have honed.
The main event, AI autonomous driving, requires robots to complete various missions along a track without any manual control. Robot athletics challenges participants to move their robots to the destination as quickly as possible along a designated route, competing in both speed and mission performance. Both events are expected to be highly competitive due to their high level of difficulty.
In particular, this year introduces the 'Dream' event, which incorporates virtual reality (VR) and drone technology to keep pace with current trends.
Top participants in this competition will earn the right to advance to the world finals, which will be held in Australia this December.
Meanwhile, Daegu is a leading city in the robotics industry, with a solid foundation for fostering the sector. The city is home to outstanding national institutions and universities, including the Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement, as well as the headquarters of global robotics company HD Hyundai Robotics.
Currently, Daegu is building the 'National Robot Test Field,' the largest robot demonstration infrastructure in Korea (covering approximately 165,000 square meters). It has also been designated as the first 'AI Robot Global Innovation Zone' in the robotics sector, focusing on supporting domestic robotics companies' entry into overseas markets.
Through this event, Daegu aims to provide a platform for global talent exchange in the future robotics industry and further strengthen its status as a leading city in robotics.
Hong Sungjoo, Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs of Daegu, stated, "This event will provide participating students with the opportunity to experience a world-class robotics competition and to envision the future of the global AI robotics industry alongside robot enthusiasts from around the world," adding, "Daegu will continue to do its utmost to foster innovative robotics talent and nurture the robotics industry, leading the way for Korea's robotics sector."
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