I.  Competition introduction

The 2025 XJTLU Unmanned Robotics Boat Challenge (URBX) is a high-level professional robotics competition aimed at showcasing XJTLU's excellence in practical engineering and autonomous navigation technology. 

The competition is scheduled on September 4th by the Zhujing River at the XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang). Student teams will design and build their own autonomous boats, equipped with cameras and deep neural network object detection models. They will navigate by remotely controlling waypoints, identifying buoy numbers, and completing navigation in sequence, competing for victory through speed and intelligence!

The 2025 XJTLU Unmanned Robotics Boat Challenge (URBX) will promote interdisciplinary collaboration in fields such as robotics, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things, stimulate innovative spirit, and enhance practical skills. It provides an excellent platform for XJTLU students to practice their skills and showcase their capabilities in a vibrant and low-risk environment. The competition is now open for registration to XJTLU students, so stay tuned for more details!

What will you get in participating in this competition?

Hands-On Engineering Experience 

Gain practical skills in mechanical design, electronics, and remote-control system integration by building and operating your own autonomous boat.

Interdisciplinary Teamwork 

Collaborate across fields like robotics, AI, IoT, and embedded systems—reflecting real-world engineering project environments.

Cutting-Edge AI Application 

Learn and apply deep learning-based object detection models and deploy them on embedded platforms like Raspberry Pi.

Prototyping and Digital Fabrication 

Use industry-standard tools such as SolidWorks, 3D printers, and machining devices to fabricate custom boat components.

Showcase and Recognition 

Present your work during a high-visibility university event with opportunities for networking, media exposure, and recognition from academic and industry guests.

Earn PDP Hours PDP（applicable to XEC undergraduates only）

Your successful participation and achievement can be officially counted toward 100 Professional Development Programme (PDP) hours. Breakdown of PDP hours with checkpoints are as follows.

Timeline

01

Mid-June 

Checkpoint 01

Team formation, to ensure the teammates have diverse technical backgrounds and clear responsibilities.

02

Mid-July 

Checkpoint 02

Successful boat hull construction.

03

Late July 

Checkpoint 03 

Successful object detection on Raspberry Pi/Jetson Nano.

04

Mid-August 

Checkpoint 04 

Successful testing on the Zhujing River.

05

Morning, Sept. 4th 

Checkpoint 05 

Sign in, Equipment Inspection, and confirmation with signatures.

II. Quick view of entry information

Each student team is required to complete the registration form, including details of team members and the team leader. Scan the QR code below to register now. Deadline for registration: 6 June, 2025.

There is no registration fee for this competition in 2025. All participants are responsible for their own accommodation, meals and transportation.

III. Registration Instructions

Team composition

Open to all students currently enrolled in Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University; 3-5 students per team (3≤number of team members≤5).

Members of each team are recommended to have diverse skills in mechanical design, electronics, GPU programming, deep learning-based object detection model, control systems, and experience in using Raspberry Pi and Jetson Nano. 

Requirements

•  Must be dedicated to competition                   preparations for 2 months (July and August)     before the final competition on 4th                 September 2025.

• Full attendance at the safety briefing and          mandatory technical tutorials.

• Follow the code of conduct and safety.

• Strong team commitment required.

IV. Official Support Resources

Mandatory Technical Tutorials

All participating students are required to attend technical tutorials organized by the competition committee. The sessions cover key topics such as boat hull construction, object detection model training and inference, remote control communication, embedded system deployment, and 3D modelling with digital manufacturing. These tutorials aim to equip teams with essential technical skills and enhance their capabilities in engineering practice and system integration throughout the competition.

Materials Provided for each team

• KT board 

• Remote controller + receiver 

• Brushless motors 

• Rudder servos

• Onboard camera 

• Raspberry Pi / Jetson Nano 

• Lithium batteries 

V. Award Settings

1st

1st Prize 

Certificate +  JingDong gift card of CNY1500

2nd

2nd Prize 

Certificate +  JingDong gift card of CNY1000

3rd

3rd Prize 

Certificate +  JingDong gift card of CNY500

VI. Sponsoring organization

     Consultation method

Organizer

School of Robotics

Contact

Dr. Haochuan Jiang 

Email : Haochuan.Jiang@xjtlu.edu.cn

Tel : 0512-88970768

Join the group chat for consultation

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