RO:BIT Robotics Team Wins Back-to-Back Championships at the 2026 Army Chief of Staff’s Cup National Defense Robot Competition, Receives Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Award
- Performs flawlessly across all sections with ‘ECLIPSE,’ a disaster-response robot developed in-house –
Takes first place and the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Award at the Army Chief of Staff’s Cup National Defense Robot Competition
Kwangwoon University Robotics Team RO:BIT
Kwangwoon University’s robotics team, RO:BIT, took first place at the 2026 Army Chief of Staff’s Cup National Defense Robot Competition, held from September 4 (Friday) to September 6 (Sunday) at Manindang Stadium in Pohang. The team delivered flawless performances across every section of the competition.
Hosted by the Republic of Korea Army, organized by the Korea Institute of Robot and Convergence (KIRO), and sponsored by Hanwha Aerospace and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the National Defense Robot Competition is one of the major events of the Korea Intelligent Robot Competition. Six teams selected through a preliminary document screening competed in the finals, where they were evaluated on their technical capabilities, creativity, and problem-solving skills.
In the National Defense Robot category, teams are evaluated on their robots’ mobility and mission capabilities while navigating challenging terrain designed to replicate the diverse environments of the Korean Peninsula across all four seasons. The competition also features a quadruped-robot escort mission, testing the ability of multiple robots to work together—an essential capability for real-world defense missions. RO:BIT was represented by six students from Kwangwoon University’s Department of Robotics, including team leader Choi Beom-su, head of the Intelligent Robotics Team, along with Kim Min-jo, Park Ki-hong, Song Su-min, Woo Jeong-yoon, and Ha Jae-min. The team achieved perfect scores in both the remote-control and autonomous sections, setting a new record for the highest score in the history of the competition.
Choi Beom-su, team leader of Kwangwoon University’s RO:BIT, said, “I’m incredibly proud of all the RO:BIT team members for achieving another great result this year following last year’s victory. We were able to identify and resolve the issues we encountered last year and successfully complete every section of the competition flawlessly, which made this achievement even more meaningful.” He added, “This competition was a valuable opportunity to demonstrate in a real-world environment the technologies we have been researching and developing. It was also a great experience to see the technologies developed by various research labs across Korea firsthand and exchange ideas with their researchers. I believe these experiences will contribute greatly to the continued technological development of RO:BIT.” He continued, “I would like to thank all of our team members who worked tirelessly day and night and devoted themselves to research despite the challenges we faced over such a long period. I would also like to dedicate this achievement to Kwangwoon University and Professor Park Su-han for their unwavering support and generous assistance, which made this success possible.”
Founded in 2006, Kwangwoon University’s robotics team RO:BIT has built an impressive track record by competing in numerous robotics competitions both in Korea and abroad. The team has received numerous prestigious awards, including the President’s Award, Prime Minister’s Award, and Army Chief of Staff’s Award, establishing itself as one of Korea’s leading university robotics teams.
