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<Photo: KAIST Undergraduate Club MR2 Team Members>
Undergraduate students from KAIST are set to take on the world stage with an exploration rover—a robotic vehicle designed to explore in place of humans—that they built themselves. The team has secured a spot in the finals of the world’s largest Mars rover competition, marking a first-ever achievement for KAIST.
KAIST announced on the 3rd that 'MR2' (Advised by Professor Yong-Hwa Park, Department of Mechanical Engineering), a rover team from the undergraduate robotics club MR (Microrobot Research), has earned a seed in the finals of the '2026 University Rover Challenge (URC)', the premier international Mars rover competition for university students.
The URC is organized by The Mars Society and takes place at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in Utah, USA, an environment that closely mimics the Martian surface. Participating teams compete in four key missions using rovers they developed: ▲Science Mission, ▲Delivery Mission, ▲Equipment Servicing Mission, and ▲Autonomous Navigation Mission.
This year’s competition saw 116 university teams from 18 countries engage in a fierce preliminary round. Team MR2 secured its place in the top 38 finalists by scoring 95.38 out of 100. This milestone is particularly significant as it is the first time a KAIST team has ever reached the URC finals, proving the excellence of KAIST undergraduates in robot design and control on a global scale.
The next-generation exploration rover 'GAP-1000', independently developed by MR2, is a modular rover designed for stable operation in extreme environments. It features a 6-DOF (Degrees of Freedom) robotic arm capable of precisely controlling objects over 5kg, allowing it to perform complex equipment manipulation tasks.
<Photo: Operation of GAP-1000's Manipulator and Science Module Integration>
The rover also boasts strong autonomous driving capabilities. By combining RTK-GNSS (precision satellite positioning), IMU (Inertial Measurement Units) for motion sensing, and odometry based on wheel rotation, it can autonomously navigate optimal paths through complex terrain. Additionally, a drone relay system has been integrated to ensure stable exploration even in areas with communication dead zones.
For the science mission, the rover can collect soil from 10cm underground, remove impurities via centrifugation, and analyze traces of life using protein detection reagents such as Biuret and Bradford. This is paired with spectroscopic analysis technology that identifies material composition by analyzing light wavelengths, creating an integrated system for real-time life detection.
"We experienced a lot of trial and error while managing everything from design to production ourselves, but I am thrilled that we achieved KAIST’s first-ever advancement to the finals," said Myung-woo Jung (Department of Mechanical Engineering), the team leader of MR2. "We will prepare thoroughly in the remaining time to achieve a great result on-site."
<Photo: Scenery of MDRS in Utah, USA, where the competition will be held (Photo Credit: The Mars Society)>
Advising Professor Yong-Hwa Park noted, "It is impressive that the students independently implemented a rover for extreme environments. This competition will serve as an opportunity to showcase KAIST’s technological prowess to the world."
KAIST President Kwang-Hyung Lee added, "It is a very meaningful achievement for our undergraduates to reach the finals of the world’s largest competition with a rover they designed and built themselves. I hope this experience serves as a catalyst for our students to challenge themselves and grow on the global stage."
Team MR2 consists of 13 undergraduate students from various majors, including Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Industrial Design. Having completed long-distance operation tests in outdoor environments, they are currently conducting final checks for the finals. The main competition will be held from May 27th to 30th at the MDRS in Utah, USA.
※ Related Links
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MR2 Official Website:
https://urc-kaist.github.io/ -
MR2 Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/urc_mr2/ -
MR2 YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@MR2KAISTRoverTeam
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