Urban Autonomous Mobility Challenge 2026
Techfest, IIT Bombay
📌 About the Event
The Urban Autonomous Mobility Challenge 2026 is a national robotics competition organised by Techfest, IIT Bombay, in association with the IIT Bombay–FedEx ALFA research initiative. Inspired by the Bosch Future Mobility Challenge, it invites student teams to design, build and program a scaled autonomous vehicle capable of navigating a miniature urban environment without remote control. Participants will develop a self-driving vehicle that can handle lane discipline, intersections, pedestrian crossings, obstacles, roundabouts and autonomous parking.
ℹ️ Event Details
- Organizer: Techfest, IIT Bombay
- Mode of Conduct: Hybrid — online qualification followed by offline rounds at IIT Bombay
- Venue: IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, Maharashtra
- Registration Fee: Free
- Team Size: 3–5 members
- Vehicle Requirement: One scaled autonomous vehicle per team
📅 Important Dates
- Registration Deadline: 31 October 2026
- Round 1 — Qualification Submission: 10 November 2026
- Round 1 Results: 17–24 November 2026
- Final Arena Layout Release: 24 November–1 December 2026
- Round 2 — Elimination Heats: 16–17 December 2026
- Round 3 — Semifinal and Grand Finale: 18 December 2026
🎯 Eligibility & Rules
- Open to undergraduate and postgraduate students enrolled at recognised institutions.
- Students from different institutions may form a team.
- Each team can compete with only one autonomous vehicle.
- The online qualification round requires a 3–5 minute demonstration video and a 1–2 page Technical Design Document.
- Only the Team Lead may submit the qualification entry.
- Vehicles must operate autonomously during timed runs; remote control and teleoperation are prohibited.
- A working emergency stop and appropriate vehicle safety measures are mandatory.
- Mentors may assist during preparation but cannot intervene during timed runs.
- The top 25 teams from the qualification round are invited to the on-site stages.
🏆 Benefits for the Participants
- Compete for the official Techfest-advertised prize pool of ₹1,50,000.
- The top three teams receive cash awards, subject to the official prize distribution.
- Gain practical experience in robotics, autonomous navigation, computer vision and embedded systems.
- Test vehicle performance against increasingly complex urban driving scenarios.
- Receive certificates for participants who qualify for Round 2, as stated in the competition details.
- Showcase engineering and problem-solving skills at Techfest, IIT Bombay.