[No Filter Robot]Stopping and Falling on Ice... A Chaotic Race of Robot Dogs

Korea's First Quadruped Robot Autonomous-Navigation Race
An Hour-Long Real-World Challenge Over Snow, Ice, and Obstacles
Students Gain Hands-On Experience as Robots Stumble and Stall
Reality of Heavy Reliance on Chinese Robots Also Laid Bare
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Quadruped robots are racing in an autonomous navigation competition. Paek Jongmin, Tech Specialist

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1, go!"

Afternoon of February 6, in the parking lot at Alpensia Resort, Gangwon Province. As the loud countdown faded and students watched anxiously, quadruped robots started running with a distinctive tapping sound. Not all robots moved at the same time. Some robots remained completely still even at the starting signal, while others hesitated in place.

The leading robot forged ahead through curved tracks, obstacles, and a surface mixed with snow and ice. Some robots slipped and staggered, while others toppled onto their sides or collapsed. There were even robots that started walking backward. Small bumps in the snow became giant hills blocking the robots’ paths, and the cones set up on each course were difficult barriers to avoid.

This is how the "Quadruped Robot Autonomous Driving Race," considered the highlight of the 21st Korean Robotics Conference (KROC 2024), began. The competition consisted of ten laps to be completed within one hour.

Sighs of disappointment could be heard from students holding their robots at the race. Everyone hoped their robot would take the lead, but reality was not so kind. Moon Hyungpil, the event’s organizing committee chair and professor at Sungkyunkwan University, said, "Even robots that work well in the lab often fail when the professor shows up. The competition environment is completely different from the laboratory."

Some robots only moved backwards at the starting signal, while others collided shoulders with neighboring robots and were nearly eliminated together. The students couldn’t stand still for a moment. They followed their robots with laptops in hand, checking their status and taking immediate action if anything went wrong.

A student participating in a quadruped robot autonomous driving competition is looking at a robot that has tipped over onto its side. Paek Jongmin, Tech Specialist

Robot number 2, which had taken the early lead, lost its balance for a moment on a bumpy patch of snow and toppled over on its side. Its legs appeared tangled, but after a short while, it managed to right itself and continued the race. Students, exhausted from the cold, gathered around a fish cake truck near the competition area to warm up with hot broth while watching their robots run.

After about 30 minutes, the robot from Hongik University’s "Robodog" team was the first to cross the finish line. Second place went to Konkuk University’s "Lulab" team, and third to Korea Polytechnic University’s "Mecha" team. The conditions were so challenging that simply finishing was considered an achievement. Of the seven teams that made it to the autonomous driving finals, only three succeeded in completing the race. This demonstrates how difficult the competition was.

Not being able to finish did not mean participating was meaningless. The process of righting toppled robots and modifying code became a massive laboratory experience in itself. Committee Chair Moon emphasized, "By experiencing countless variables that occur in real outdoor environments, students will be able to grow technologically."

The Korean Robotics Society plans to build on the achievements of this year’s competition and further expand the event next year. Kim Jinhyun, a professor at Seoul National University of Science and Technology and next year’s organizing committee chair, announced plans to evolve the competition in a way that evaluates a wider range of mission performance capabilities.

Students who participated in the four-legged robot autonomous driving competition held during the Korean Robotics Conference are taking a commemorative photo after the competition. Photo by Paek Jongmin, Tech Specialist

However, the most painful aspect of this year’s competition was the "nationality" of the robots filling the arena. Except for one, every participating robot was a product of the Chinese company Unitree, and the remaining robot was also made in China.

Myung Hyun, a professor at KAIST, admitted, "At this price point, there is virtually no domestically produced quadruped robot platform with this level of performance." Students had no choice but to compete by installing domestically developed autonomous driving algorithms—the "heart"—onto Chinese robot frames. Although nearly 50 robot companies exhibited at the academic conference, it was difficult to find a popular Korean robot with price competitiveness comparable to Unitree.

Some argue that it is necessary to take advantage of the opportunity to use Chinese-made robots for now. Moon Heechang, a professor at Hongik University, emphasized, "It is difficult for students to participate in such competitions on their own. Only if students can directly handle various robots with the support of the government or companies will Korea be able to lead the development of better domestic robots and the era of physical AI."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.