MassRobotics Launches Fourth Annual Form and Function Robotics Challenge for University Teams
MassRobotics has announced the launch of its fourth annual Form and Function Robotics Challenge, a global competition designed to showcase university student teams building robots that balance strong industrial design with real-world functionality. The challenge is organized in collaboration with AMD, Dassault Systèmes, Harmonic Drive, Maeden, maxon, and Mitsubishi Electric.
Open to student teams worldwide, the competition invites participants to develop innovative robotics projects that address real-world problems while working within realistic prototyping constraints. Teams will be evaluated on both technical execution and presentation quality, with an emphasis on solutions that demonstrate practical performance as well as thoughtful design.
Selected teams will compete for a $10,000 grand prize, with $1,000 awards for second and third place, and an additional $1,000 Audience Choice Award. Finalists will present their projects through live, in-person demonstrations at the Robotics Summit & Expo in Boston on May 27–28, 2026, where they will showcase their work to industry leaders, investors, and members of the broader robotics community.
The challenge is positioned as a bridge between academic creativity and real-world engineering expectations. “AMD is committed to powering the next generation of robotics startups by delivering the right platforms that enable breakthrough innovation,” said KV Thanjavur Bhaaskar, Robotics Lead at AMD. “That journey begins at the source, academia, where bold ideas are first imagined and engineered.”
Mitsubishi Electric Automation highlighted the practical value of the program. “By providing students with access to industrial-grade PLCs, HMIs, servos, and robotics simulation software, we're helping bridge academic innovation with real-world automation,” said Dr. William Nguyen, Development Manager at Mitsubishi Electric Automation.
Maxon also emphasized the importance of exposing students to production-grade components. “This initiative connects classroom innovation with the performance standards of real-world engineering,” said Nicole Mathieu, Senior ISE – Mobility Solutions and Industrial Automation at maxon.
Previous winning teams have come from institutions including Northeastern University, Tufts University, Seoul National University, Harvard University, Wentworth Institute of Technology, the University of British Columbia, MIT, Indiana University Bloomington, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and the University of Waterloo.
Applications are open now and will be accepted through February 2, 2026.
More information and application details are available at: https://www.massrobotics.org/form-function-challenge/
MassRobotics is the world’s largest independent robotics hub, focused on accelerating innovation, commercialization, and adoption across the robotics and Physical AI ecosystem. Headquartered in Boston, the organization works with startups, academia, industry, and governments globally to support the development, testing, and deployment of next-generation robotic technologies.
