Kumoh National Institute of Technology Wins 1st Place in Intelligent Robot Category at 25th Korea Intelligent Robot Competition 2025

Students from the Intelligent Robotics Laboratory at Kumoh National Institute of Technology (President Kwak Hosang) have developed an exploration robot designed to operate in disaster environments and won both the Grand Prize (1st place) and the Encouragement Award in the intelligent robot category at the 25th Korea Intelligent Robot Competition.

The Grand Prize was awarded to the "Cheonwon Dolpa" team, consisting of Kim Beomseok (team leader, master's student in Mechanical Engineering), Park Hyunbin (doctoral student), Jung Junyeop (senior in Mechanical Systems Engineering), and Kim Seunghyeok (senior in Mechanical Systems Engineering), for their "Multi-Mode Transforming Robot." The team received the Grand Prize (Governor of Gyeongsangbuk-do Award) for their achievement.

'The God of High School' team presenting the 'Multi-Mode Transforming Robot' / Photo by Lee Ihwan

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The "Multi-Mode Transforming Robot" is capable of performing a variety of tasks such as exploration, rescue, and transportation even in unstructured and extreme environments. The robot's body can be expanded to move large objects, and in narrow terrains, it can contract its body and utilize both wheels and legs to move quickly and overcome obstacles.

The robot received high praise for its commercial viability, as its creative transformation structure allows real-world application. It was also recognized for its high level of hardware and software completion, as well as its economic efficiency, since a single robot can replace multiple robots.

This research was supported by the "Integrated Bachelor-Master ICT Core Talent Training Project" and the "University ICT Research Center (ITRC)" of the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Institute of Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation (IITP). The project is expected to have future applications in replacing humans in extreme environments.

Meanwhile, the "KIT-IRL" team, composed of Bae Seongung, Baek Minjae, Kim Minseok, and Lee Dohyeong (all juniors majoring in Mechanical Systems Engineering), also received the "President of Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement Award," which corresponds to the Encouragement Award in the intelligent robot category.

The "KIT-IRL" team's robot features a modular structure that enables stable driving even on uneven and complex terrains.

By attaching electromagnets to the bottom of the modules, the robot can travel along walls and move vertically, demonstrating the potential to expand its operational area beyond the ground to metallic structures.

Kim Beomseok, who received the Grand Prize, said, "Over the past three years, starting from my undergraduate studies, there were many difficult and challenging moments while building robots. However, I am deeply grateful to my teammates who never gave up and to Professor Ju Baekseok for his generous guidance. Like our team name 'Cheonwon Dolpa,' I will continue to overcome challenges with the determination to break through the sky and become a robotics engineer who can contribute to the country."

The 25th Korea Intelligent Robot Competition, hosted by Gyeongsangbuk-do and Pohang City and organized by the Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement, was held at Pohang Sports Complex over two days from September 13 to 14, 2025.

This year, 22 teams and over 100 participants competed fiercely in the intelligent robot, performance robot, and defense robot categories. The Grand Prize carried a reward of 10 million won, the Excellence Award 5 million won, and each Encouragement Award 3 million won.

Students from the Intelligent Robotics Laboratory (advisor: Professor Ju Baekseok) also won the top "Gold Prize" at the 2025 Ricardine Simulation Competition, continuing their excellent performance in robotics-related contests.

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