UIU Mars Rover secures third position worldwide in URC 2026

For the first time, a Bangladeshi Mars rover team from United International University (UIU), UIU Mars Rover, has made it to the top three places worldwide in the prestigious University Rover Challenge’s (URC) on-site competition. This is a milestone that’s unprecedented for any Asian team. The UIU Mars Rover has also received the Best Autonomous System Recognition.

The top three global rankings are as follows: Missouri University of Science and Technology’s Mars Rover Design Team, Monash University’s Monash Nova Rover, and UIU’s UIU Mars Rover.

The UIU Mars Rover represented the Center for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR). The on-site edition of the competition took place in Utah, USA, from May 27-30. Aside from UIU, BRACU Mongol-Tori secured the seventh spot; MIST Mongol Barota secured the 11th spot; and AAUB Rover71 secured the 34th place.

The teams were judged on System Acceptance Review (SAR), Science Mission, Delivery Mission, Equipment Servicing Mission, and Autonomous Navigation Mission. UIU received a total of 400.44 points across all segments.