YNU's Future Robot Team excels at RoboMaster event

The Future Robot Team from Yunnan University (YNU) achieved remarkable results at the recent 24th National University Robot Competition – RoboMaster 2025 Mecha Master University League (Southwest Regional). The team ranked first nationwide in the Engineering Challenge, took the third place in the Infantry Competition, and advanced to the Top 8 in the 3V3 Confrontation Match.

Future Robot Team members pose for a group photo with representatives from the competition. [Photo/WeChat account of Yunnan University]

Launched and hosted by DJI, the RoboMaster Mecha Master University League is a global robotics competition recognized as one of the top-level contests in China's national university competition rankings. Integrating cutting-edge technologies such as mechanical design, electronic engineering, and artificial intelligence, it is widely known as the "Olympics of Robotics".

This year's Southwest Regional event attracted teams from over 30 universities in western China, including Sichuan University, Yunnan University, and Chongqing University. The competition featured three main challenges: the 3V3 Confrontation Match, the Infantry Competition, and the Engineering Challenge.

Two team members throw themselves into the competition. [Photo/WeChat account of Yunnan University]

In the 3V3 Confrontation Match, Future advanced to the quarterfinals with a dominant 2-0 win, ranking first in their group. In the Infantry Competition, their robot stood out for its high mobility, stable firepower, and intelligent target recognition system, earning them a third-place finish after defeating some top-tier teams.

The highlight came in the Engineering Challenge, where Future set a new national record for this season with 202 points, securing the top national score. Their self-developed engineering robot delivered zero-error performance in ore collection, transport, and high-precision exchange tasks. Thanks to its precise robotic arm control and efficient task execution, it completed all objectives at record speed.

Founded in October 2017, the Future team now has over 40 members. It operates under a tiered development model, with senior undergraduates leading R&D and junior students forming a talent pipeline.

Over the past seven years, the team has earned over 400 awards at national and provincial levels. Their research spans intelligent security robots, multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arms, and large unmanned aerial systems – some of which have already been translated into industry applications.