Build it. Code it. Run it.
Robotics & Automation
Teams design, build and program robots that sense their surroundings and complete tasks on their own, judged on a live run and on the engineering behind it.
Robotics & Automation is one of 12 competition categories in TechFest Australia, a national technology competition and festival for Australian school students and young innovators. It is open to Junior (Years 3–6), Secondary (Years 7–12), Tertiary (University or TAFE) and Open (Ages 18–30) entries.
The 2027 challenge
Design a robot that takes on a dull, dirty or dangerous job on an Australian farm, warehouse or mine site, then complete a timed task course without remote control.
Example projects
- Soft gripper that picks ripe fruit without bruising it
- Warehouse robot that sorts parcels by postcode
- Autonomous robot that collects litter along a beach or school oval
Flagship challenge
Outback Rover Challenge
No driver. No signal. Just red dirt.
Teams build an autonomous rover that crosses a course of loose red soil, rocks and slopes modelled on outback terrain. The rover must find marked sample sites, record what it sees and return to base with no remote steering. Judges score the run and the engineering logbook behind it.
- Divisions
- Secondary · Tertiary · Open
- Team
- 2–6
- Format
- Field trial
- Mission
- Autonomous 200 m course
Season 2027 dates
- Registrations open
- To be announced
- Registrations close
- 19 February 2027
- Proposals due
- 26 February 2027
- National final and festival
- 30 September 2027 to 3 October 2027
Indicative dates, final schedule to be confirmed. The entry fee for the 2027 season will be published before registrations open.