United International University (UIU) Mars Rover Team secured third place globally and first place in Asia at the University Rover Challenge (URC) 2026 in the United States, marking the first time an Asian team has reached the podium in the competition’s 20-year history.
The team, operating under the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR) at United International University (UIU), achieved the feat at the Mars Desert Research Station in Hanksville, Utah, during the four-day competition held from 27 May to 30 May, the university said in a press release.
The University Rover Challenge, organised by The Mars Society, brought together 38 finalist teams from 15 countries, including the United States, Australia, Canada, Poland, India, Japan, South Korea, Italy, Mexico, Türkiye and Bangladesh.
A total of 116 university teams initially entered the competition before organisers selected 38 teams for the final on-site round after a multi-stage evaluation process.
The UIU Mars Rover Team earned 400.44 points to finish third overall and emerge as the highest-ranked Asian team in the competition.
Missouri University of Science and Technology Mars Rover Design Team from the United States won the competition with 469.57 points, while Australia’s Monash Nova Rover finished second with 412.41 points.
Alongside the podium finish, the Bangladeshi team also received the Best Autonomous System Recognition for its autonomous navigation, perception and decision-making performance.
During the final phase of the competition, teams completed four missions involving science exploration, autonomous navigation, extreme terrain traversal and equipment servicing to test rover capability and operational skills.
The UIU rover completed all four missions.
The achievement extended the university’s dominance among Asian teams at the competition. The UIU Mars Rover Team has ranked as Asia’s top-performing team for five consecutive years from 2022 to 2026.
The university described the latest result as a historic achievement for both Bangladesh and Asia in global rover competitions.
The team carried out research and development work in robotics, autonomous systems, artificial intelligence, embedded systems and mechanical design to prepare for the competition.
UIU School of Science and Engineering Dean Hasan Sarwar and UIU Department of Computer Science and Engineering Head Suman Ahammed advised the team.
UIU Department of Computer Science and Engineering Lecturer Md Abid Hossain mentored the team.
The university said the achievement reflected years of work by students, faculty members, mentors and supporters involved with the programme.
