Fourth Robotics Festival to Take Place at HSE University
From April 1 to 3, 2026, the HSE Pokrovka Campus will host the Fourth Robotics Festival—one of the key events organised by the Faculty of Computer Science for anyone interested in robotics, programming, and engineering creativity. The festival will bring together robotics competitions, discussions, educational formats, and demonstrations of technological developments.
The festival is co-organised by Yandex Education and the National Association of Robotics Market Participants. Its strategic partner is Sber, while the Russian State Scientific Centre for Robotics and Technical Cybernetics is a partner and co-organiser of the competitions.
The festival will open with three robotics competitions. For the first time, a hackathon on programming a robotic arm will be held, featuring a task set by Yandex Education and the Faculty of Computer Science’s Robotics Laboratory. The regional stages of the RTC Cup—robotics competitions for ground-based robots on a specialised testing ground—will once again take place, along with the Premier League of the RTC Cup, focusing on autonomous robot navigation on thematic courses. Last year, 26 teams competed in the RTC Cup, while seven teams took part in its Premier League.
On the second day, student participants of the competitions and hackathon will attend a foresight session devoted to discussing opportunities for higher education in robotics in Russia. The session will be led by Olga Mudrova, Executive Director of the Russian State Scientific Centre for Robotics and Technical Cybernetics. The results of the RTC Cup competitions will also be announced on the same day.
The third and final day of the festival will feature an extensive programme, including a robotics exhibition, discussions, and lectures by industry experts from Yandex, Sber, and the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology. Visitors to the exhibition will be able to see the developments of the Faculty of Computer Science’s Robotics Laboratory in action—wheeled robots, manipulators, and navigation systems—and take part in a workshop run by the laboratory’s staff.
The festival will also showcase the works of finalists from the Create the Ideal Robot all-Russian competition organised by the HSE Art and Design School and the EFKO Group of Companies. As part of the competition, some of Russia’s most creative minds explored what the head of an anthropomorphic robot should look like in order to fit into human life.
In addition, the festival will host a presentation of the Institute for Robotic Systems established by HSE University in partnership with EFKO. The institute includes a visionary centre in robotics, a research hub integrating key areas of scientific and technological development, and an educational environment for training specialists in the robotics industry. The programme will also feature the presentation of a joint development by HSE University and EFKO: Arkus, an anthropomorphic delivery robot.
Guests will also have the opportunity to learn about new academic programmes at the Faculty of Computer Science, including the Bachelor’s programme ‘Design of Intelligent Robotic Systems’ and the Master’s programme ‘Smart Devices: Hardware Development.’ The festival will conclude with an award ceremony for the hackathon winners.
Rostislav Kovalevsky, Director of the HSE Institute for Robotics Systems, EFKO Innovation Director
For EFKO, robotics is a major project aimed at creating an entirely new industry. We believe that within the next few years, we will be able to delegate some routine tasks to robots—both anthropomorphic and otherwise—so that people can focus on creative and intellectual work.
One of the key elements of this project is the Institute for Robotic Systems, established jointly with HSE University. Its role is to lay the groundwork for future developments in terms of fundamental science, as well as to engage young people in building this new industry.
At the Robotics Festival, we will present the institute’s first development—a delivery robot which, in the future, will not only be able to perform its primary function of delivering goods to consumers, but also become a harmonious part of society and an active participant in human interaction.
Anastasia Minets, Head of Educational Programmes and Projects Unit at the Russian State Scientific Centre for Robotics and Technical Cybernetics
This year, the joint competition stage organised by the Russian State Scientific Centre for Robotics and Technical Cybernetics and HSE University will take place for the second time. Our debut event held at HSE last year demonstrated an exceptionally high standard: several records for the entire season were set right here. We are greatly looking forward to this year’s competition and can already see strong interest from the leading teams of the RTC Cup. We will also be following the student teams competing in the Premier League of the RTC Cup, where participants will attempt to solve an updated urban navigation challenge. The contest promises to be both exciting and visually impressive.
In the next academic year, the HSE Faculty of Computer Science will launch a new bachelor’s degree in robotics. We therefore hope that prospective applicants will find it useful to become familiar with our competitions. Next season, we look forward to welcoming first-year students as participants in the Cup.
Vadim Morgachev, Academic Supervisor of the Bachelor’s Programme in Design of Intelligent Robotic Systems, Project Lead at the HSE Robotics Laboratory
The festival has already become a tradition that continues to grow and evolve. We have brought together all participants in the ‘robotics chain’—from school pupils to IT companies where these young people will eventually work. This is not just a festival; it is a living dialogue between those who are only beginning to take an interest in robotics, those who are already passionate about it, and those who are shaping its present and future.
This year, the festival is particularly significant as it takes place alongside the launch of our new programme, Design in Intelligent Robotic Systems. This is a bachelor’s programme at the Faculty of Computer Science, where we train engineers capable of creating AI-powered robots. For us, the festival is also an opportunity to demonstrate that the faculty has a strong robotics focus—and with the launch of the new programme, this will grow even further.
Andrey Karmatsky, Project Lead in AI Robotics at Yandex Education
In November, we at Yandex announced the launch of a major educational initiative in physical AI for school and university students. It brings together a range of formats—from events and hackathons that help participants take their first steps in this field to in-depth programmes for those who want to seriously engage with technologies at the intersection of robotics and artificial intelligence and develop new solutions. For us, it is important to attract as many young people as possible to this area, including those who may not yet have extensive experience in robotics. Our hackathon, which will take place as part of the Robotics Festival at HSE University, is a great opportunity to try your hand at a new field, build a team, work on a practical solution, and see how these technologies function in real life.
Who Can Take Part
Attending the Robotics Festival, lectures, and discussions: open to everyone (no restrictions)
Participation in the RTC Cup: school students in Years 1–11
Participation in the Premier League of the RTC Cup: senior school students (Years 9–11) and university students
Participation in the robotic arm hackathon: senior school students (Years 9–11) and university students
Attending the foresight session: students of technical universities, primarily in robotics, mechatronics, and related fields
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