A battle of brains and bots
CUHK hosts Hong Kong’s first large-scale outdoor robotics competition
14 January 2026
Walking on two legs or four, a dozen robots developed by university students and enthusiasts took to the green grounds of CUHK, navigating the Lingnan Stadium and the scenic “creek under the bridge” landmark. Over two days in December, the intelligence of the machines was put to the test, climbing stone staircases, watering plants and navigating uneven ground, while their creators stood close by, fine-tuning controls and monitoring their performance.
They were participating in the 5th ATEC competition (ATEC 2025), Hong Kong’s first large-scale outdoor robotics contest and the world’s first robotics contest themed around “real-world extreme challenges”, which attracted top international teams to CUHK to push the boundaries of autonomous robotics on 6 and 7 December 2025.
The competition featured four real-world tasks that tested the abilities of the robots to plan their paths, achieve dynamic balance, plan a task and use tools in complex environments. The robots were expected to operate fully autonomously, without remote control by humans.
ATEC 2025 was organised by CUHK and co-hosted by the Advanced Technology Exploration Community (ATEC), Ant Group, Peking University and Beijing Normal University.
Professor Liu Yunhui, ATEC 2025 Steering Committee Chairman and Director of CUHK’s T Stone Robotics Institute, said: “This competition poses a fundamental question – can robots truly leave the lab and adapt to our complex world? Through extreme challenges, we aim to push robots to be able to not only demonstrate what is feasible but also execute applications reliably.” He added that ATEC 2025 not only promoted innovation in robotics and AI but also aligned with the development blueprint of the Government of the HKSAR in this area.
A Turing test for robots
Unlike traditional indoor contests, ATEC 2025 leveraged CUHK’s environment, including an arched bridge, hilly terrain and stone steps, to test robots in unpredictable contexts. The four real-world missions for the robots were:
- Sorting waste: Identify scattered rubbish, pick it up and sort it accurately, testing their visual and precision handling skills;
- Watering flowers: Handle watering cans, turn a tap on and off, fetch water and irrigate plants, testing their task-planning and tool usage abilities;
- Field rally: Navigate arched bridges, steps and slopes, showing their route planning abilities and dynamic balance on complex terrain;
- Bridge crossing: Cross unevenly spaced wooden planks, demonstrating their autonomous decision-making skills and adaptability.
This year, 12 elite teams emerged as leaders out of 392 entries from around the world, including from CUHK, The University of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Peking University, University College London and other leading mainland and overseas institutions. Professional teams from companies such as Tencent and Baidu also joined in. The youngest participant was just 19 years old. The results were determined by an international panel of judges comprising 70 experts from Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland, the U.S. and Singapore.
At the opening ceremony, Professor Irwin King Kuo-chin, ATEC 2025 Organising Committee Chairman and CUHK’s Vice-President (Education), remarked: “ATEC 2025 provides a rare opportunity to inspire the younger generation to explore, innovate and ignite their passion for technology.”
The two-day event drew crowds of CUHK staff and students, as well as members of the public. Spectators watched the robots in action up close and took part in interactive check-in activities, while the official website and other online platforms streamed the competition live.
‘The real world throws up endless surprises’
Three members of CUHK’s robotics team formed the team CUMAE with students from Guangxi Minzu University to take part in the contest. They remodelled a commercial bipedal robot by equipping it with adaptive balance control, multi-directional arms and a camera to tackle complex terrain and tasks.
Albert Leung, a member of CUMAE and a third-year student in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, said theirs was the only team whose members were all undergraduate students. They aimed to gain exposure to cutting-edge technology by competing against other teams featuring postgraduates and even industry players. “Winning is not what we’re after. It’s about getting the chance to participate.”
The difficulty of the competition far exceeded their expectations, he admitted. “For example, the field rally required robots to walk upstairs, which is a huge challenge for gait control.” He recalled a memorable setback: “During our first lab test on stairs, the robot stumbled when taking its first step, and a leg joint even broke. We had to contact the manufacturer immediately for replacement parts.”
Zhejiang University’s team wongtsai claimed the championship and a US$150,000 prize thanks to their robot’s exceptional automation and adaptability performance in complex terrain.
“Even with well-tuned algorithms in the lab, the real world throws up endless surprises. This contest made us rethink what autonomy truly means,” the team members commented.
By Eva Choy
Photos by Yau Hung-kee
