Polish teams excel at the Anatolian Rover Challenge in Turkey, with Wrocław University taking first place and Warsaw University third.
Polish teams achieved remarkable success at the Anatolian Rover Challenge in Turkey. The Wrocław University of Science and Technology team secured first place, continuing their winning streak by taking the top spot for the third time. The competition took place in the latter half of July and involved complex tasks such as sample collection, tool transportation, photography, and malfunction diagnosis on simulated Martian soil.
Night Mission Excellence
The Wrocław team excelled in the challenging night mission, which required the rovers to photograph designated objects and navigate an underground tunnel in a short timeframe. “The key was effective, swift teamwork and sufficiently powerful lighting to perform tasks efficiently in night conditions,” said Zofia Stypułkowska, president of the Off-Road scientific club.
Additional Honors and Future Plans
Besides winning the overall competition, the Wrocław team received the Science award for their task of collecting a sample and confirming or rejecting a scientific hypothesis. The team, comprising over 40 members from ten university departments, plans to compete in the European Rover Challenge in Krakow in September.
Warsaw University of Technology’s Notable Achievements
The Warsaw University of Technology’s SKA Robotics team secured third place overall and received special awards for the best autonomous navigation system, best terrain navigation solution, and best sample collection module. “Our autonomous navigation system, using SLAM and real-time terrain mapping with Luxonis depth camera, greatly impressed the jury,” reported Miłosz Kurtysiak, team coordinator.
Additional Polish Successes
The Legendary Rover Team from Rzeszów University of Technology also performed well, finishing fourth. Out of 16 qualified teams from Turkey, India, Bangladesh, and Poland, nine teams successfully completed their missions.