A round of applause for Team Calibur for attaining Second Place in the Engineer Challenge at RMUL 2026!
An international collegiate robotics competition, this year’s RoboMaster University League (RMUL) was held in Chongqing, China, where NUS Calibur Robotics stood as the sole international team. The team competed across three categories: 3v3 Robot Combat, 1v1 Infantry Robot Competition, and the Engineering Challenge.
One obstacle the team faced throughout the competition was the language barrier, as it was their first time competing in China. Fortunately, bilingual members stepped up to take on translation responsibilities, helping the team adapt more effectively on the ground.
Despite such difficulties, the team delivered a strong performance and clinched Second Place in the task-based Engineering Challenge, which evaluates engineering design and system integration. Team Calibur’s robots were required to complete structured objectives such as navigation and interaction tasks. Their new lineup of robots rose to the occasion, as the team made key improvements such as redesigning the manipulation system from a suction-based mechanism to a gripper.
While the team excelled in the Engineering Challenge, they felt the heat in other categories. An unexpected problem arose during the final match of the 3v3 Robot Combat category, when the team encountered an electronics issue with their autonomous robot. At this crucial moment, some members jumped into diagnostic mode while others coordinated a backup plan by adapting an alternative robot. Working in tandem, the team finalised their lineup in time to pass inspection and proceed with the match.
Critical moments like these saw team members stepping beyond their individual roles to support one another. Technical members managing robots across different categories collaborated closely to resolve issues, from last-minute wiring fixes to repairing damage between matches. While the team responded swiftly, they reflected that this experience reinforced the importance of minimising last-minute adjustments and planning further ahead, as unexpected issues can occur under competition conditions.
Dr Shih-Cheng Yen, Director of NUS Engineering Design and Innovation Centre, offered the team a note of encouragement: “The students faced setbacks head-on and gave their very best. We hope this year’s trip remains a valuable learning experience and motivates them to do better next year!”
