Shandong University (SDU) achieved a historic breakthrough at the finals of the 7th China Graduate Robot Innovation Design Competition on Sept 28. SDU secured three first prizes (including one runner-up award), six second prizes, and one third prize, outperforming a field of 325 teams from 224 institutions.

A team from the School of Control Science and Engineering composed of graduate students Ding Weikai, Xiao Shijun, Lu Yichuan, Meng Jingui, and Xu Shao won first prize and earned the runner-up team for their project, titled "modular autonomous reconfigurable robot system". The system addresses the limitations of single-legged robots by using a multi-module design and distributed control to create a reconfigurable system. It significantly enhances the system's flexibility and task adaptability, making it more suitable for complex scenarios such as rescue and exploration.

Two other teams from the same school also secured first prizes. One team, composed of graduate students Sun Youxiang, Li Zilong, He Guangxu, Liu Shuai, Li Ke, developed an intelligent robot management system for fruit farms. The system combines autonomous inspection and smart decision-making to provide farmers with data-driven insights, moving orchard management from manual labor to precision agriculture.

The final winning team, composed of graduate students Sang Longjia, Liu Jiang, Cao Zhijun, Hou Dang, designed a robot system for automotive interior production. Their solution offers an automated, integrated approach to handling and sewing flexible fabrics, propelling the manufacturing industry toward a more efficient and intelligent future.

The awards highlight the university's leading role in robotics and its commitment to solving real-world challenges with innovative technology.

A commemorative photo of the winning students from Shandong University. [Photo/Shandong University]

A commemorative group photo of participating faculty and students from Shandong University. [Photo/Shandong University]