The 2024 Kuka Challenge has come to an end with the aim of bringing collaborative automation to the masses, featuring innovative research on the recently launched robot manipulation and Ecosystem iiQKA and lightweight robot LBR iisy. Kuka Challenge 2025 was officially launched recently, and we are looking forward to welcoming teams from all over the world to join us in the battle of innovation!

LBR iisy robot

The use is flexible, the operation is convenient, the implementation is fast, and the man-machine collaboration is safe and worry-free

NOCR-01C LBR iisy is a versatile collaborative robot for automated production. This collaborative robot is the perfect combination of industrial automation expertise, accuracy and reliability, and the convenient flexibility of smart devices.

Under the theme “Robots for the people”, we encourage all participants to develop innovative applications, enabling technologies and software based on collaborative robots to help automate and upgrade relevant craft processes.

2024 final team style

YANTRA team | DLR/Reverie and NHDC | Germany/India

YANTRA Team

In countries such as India, Japan and Indonesia, the consumer textile industry is still focused on traditional processes in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), which are facing pressure from non-custom manufacturing. Yantra is developing an “iisy Robot Apprentice” to assist skilled operations in the production of sustainable hand-woven textiles. The project reduces production time while retaining creativity in the process. Members of the team from the German Aerospace Center’s (DLR) Institute for Robotics and Mechatronics are developing the collaborative robot to provide customized robot programming, which will also be enhanced under the language-to-motion framework developed in collaboration with Reverie Language Technology (RLT). India’s National Handmade Textiles Development Corporation (NHDC) will also advise on the process flow for the project.

Collaborative Deliciousness team | University of Waterloo | Canada

Collaborative Deliciousness Team

IISYest Bakers is an automation solution for small to medium-sized artisanal bakeries developed based on iiQKA and KUKA iisy robots. The device has an intuitive user interface that bakers can easily use to replace the numerous repetitive tasks that currently need to be done manually. The goal is to increase production efficiency, reduce labor costs, provide scalability, and focus on ensuring that robots also produce bakery products of the same quality as artisanal bakers. This solution has positive economic potential while being easily implemented in different artisanal bakery scenarios.

NOCR-01C Ricobb team | LVD Robot Solutions Co., LTD + KU Leuven | Belgium

The Ricobb team

Ricobb empowers European smes by providing a reliable iisy Cobot Buddy. “Taking manufacturing out of low-wage countries” is the ambition of LVD Robotic Solutions and the Acro research group, and the concept focuses on developing a user-friendly collaborative robot application platform that applies tangible technology to the bending process with the support of a wide range of end customers. Easy access and adaptation to the bending process (defined by the LVD press) is achieved through intelligent programming using simple modules, including methods and building blocks for the product family. The solution is initially used for bending, but the solution also has the potential to be applied to other related applications such as categorization, deburring, etc.

The 2025 Challenge is coming!

2025 A new innovation competition is coming. The new innovation competition aims to explore the interaction of robotic systems with humans in the medical environment, as well as the role of robots in future medical applications, including applications for diagnosis, rehabilitation, surgery and other forms of treatment directly with patients.

Participants are encouraged to look to the future:

Where can robots play a role in the next generation of medical applications and how can they provide optimal care to patients?

_ What role does AI play in this field?

How can sensors and vision systems play a role in medical applications to improve outcomes?

In this competition, we expect to see solutions that bring new robot usage perspectives to healthcare in the future. The solution should address a valid clinical or medical problem through an innovative robotic system, while also taking into account market needs and highlighting potential business opportunities.

Systems concepts should be broadly applicable and by no means limited to engineering methods to solve specific use cases. Entrants from academia, research institutions and industry are encouraged to present system concepts that can be realized or are already on the verge of commercialization.