CUHK hosts the world’s first large-scale outdoor robotics competition themed “Real-World Extreme Challenge” Fully autonomous robots tackle arched bridges and stone steps to vie for a US$150,000 top prize

The 5^th ATEC competition, organised by The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and co-hosted by the Advanced Technology Exploration Community (ATEC), Ant Group, Peking University and Beijing Normal University, is taking place today and tomorrow (6-7 December) on the CUHK campus. This marks Hong Kong’s first large-scale outdoor robotics competition and is also the world’s first robotics event themed around “Real-World Extreme Challenge”. The competition has injected powerful momentum into Hong Kong’s development as an international innovation and technology centre. At the same time, it aims to advance robots’ real-world capabilities under fully autonomous, zero-remote-control conditions, accelerating their evolution from remotely operated “tools” to truly intelligent agents capable of independent decision-making.

Four challenging missions push robots to the limit

Top teams from around the world have gathered at the CUHK campus to compete in multiple rounds, with the champion team set to win a grand prize of US$150,000. Twelve elite teams, selected from 392 entries worldwide, include top university students from CUHK, the University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Peking University, Tsinghua University, Zhejiang University, Harbin Institute of Technology, University College London, the University of Sydney, the Australian National University and Columbia University. Competitors also include industry professionals from tech giants and innovative companies such as Tencent, Baidu, Sina Weibo, Harbin Institute of Technology spin-off Innoplier, vehicle intelligence company Mini Create and multimodal large model developer Guangming Laboratory. Among them, the youngest competitor is only 19 years old.

The competition emphasises “zero remote control”, meaning the robot must independently complete the entire closed-loop process – from perception and analysis to decision-making and execution in a real-world environment full of uncertainties. Any failure at any stage could interrupt the mission, putting the robot’s perceptual robustness, decision-making intelligence, and overall system stability to the ultimate test. To achieve this, the competition fully utilises CUHK’s natural outdoor terrain, including the Lingnan Stadium and the “Creek under the bridge”, featuring arched bridges, hilly terrain, gentle slopes and stone steps. It presents four “real-world missions”: sorting waste, watering flowers, a field rally and crossing a bridge. These challenges completely break away from conventional indoor formats, testing robots’ adaptability, perception and decision-making in complex environments and driving embodied intelligence from laboratory to real-world deployment. The panel of approximately 70 judges comprises renowned experts from Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland, the United States and Singapore.

Nurturing young I&T talent to tackle AI challenges

The opening ceremony took place today (6 December) at CUHK Lingnan Stadium. Professor Irwin King Kuo-chin, Chair of ATEC 2025 Organising Committee and CUHK Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education), said in his speech: “ATEC 2025 provides a rare opportunity to inspire the younger generation to explore, innovate and ignite their passion for technology. CUHK is deeply committed to pioneering AI education and research. We own four dedicated research institutes initiating groundbreaking AI and robotics projects to produce impactful outcomes. It gives us much pride to host the ATEC 2025 Offline Competition, allowing us to take full advantage of our dynamic campus terrain to provide innovators from around the world with the opportunity to break away from traditional indoor training settings and engage in a realistic robotics tournament.”

Professor Xu Ke, Founder and Chairman of ATEC, Vice Director of the Department of Computer Science and Technology at Tsinghua University, said during his speech: “Every great leap in technology is born from failure, from daunting challenges, and from the times when its value is not yet seen.”

Professor Liu Yunhui, ATEC 2025 Steering Committee Chairman, Director of CUHK T Stone Robotics Institute (CURI) and Director of InnoHK Hong Kong Centre for Logistics Robotics, said: “This event signifies a major milestone for Hong Kong as we host the first large-scale real-world robotics challenge, aimed at fostering the innovation of robotics and AI. This aligns closely with the strategic blueprint of technological development of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. This competition is dedicated to utilising technology to tackle real-world problems. By tapping into the potential of innovation, we can empower society to create meaningful solutions that enhance safety and well-being.”

First day’s competition underway – robots demonstrate autonomous decision-making

In today’s preliminary rounds, humanoid and quadruped robots from the competing teams took turns to compete across grassy fields, arched bridges, stone steps and slippery terrain. In the waste sorting task, robots identified scattered waste, picked it up and placed it into designated bins, testing visual recognition and fine manipulation. In the flower watering task, robots independently grasped watering cans, filled them and precisely watered plants, demonstrating task planning and tool-use capabilities. In the field rally task, robots navigated arched bridges, stone steps and slopes, showcasing path planning and dynamic balance on complex terrain. In the bridge crossing task, robots navigated a swaying bridge with unevenly spaced planks, which challenged their autonomous decision-making and adaptability in extreme conditions. A points bonus was awarded for full autonomy: teams whose robots completed tasks with zero remote control.

A public viewing area on-site allows students, staff and the public to watch the robots in action up close and take part in interactive check-in activities. The second day of competition and the closing and awards ceremony will take place tomorrow (7 December). Members of the public can still reserve on-site spectator tickets via the official website.

Official website: http://www.atecup.com/2025

Live streaming: https://www.atecup.com/live/2025