The Startup Fest<br/>Robotics Challenge
Four disciplines.
Four custom-built arenas.
One stage.
Every SFRC category is engineered to international standards — built from scratch, scored live, judged with formats borrowed from the top robotics circuits in the world.
National Firsts
SFRC 2026 isn't a re-run of someone else's playbook.
It's a list of firsts for Uzbekistan.
FIRST · 01
Combat robotics (MiniRoboWar)
No public combat robotics event has ever been held in Uzbekistan until SFRC.
FIRST · 02
Robo Football Qualification
First real tournament — group stage and playoffs, not just exhibition robots from one team.
FIRST · 03
Stadium-grade arena aura
Elevated platforms, RGB underglow, polycarbonate walls, live scoring — built like a real championship.
Category A · Fast Line Following Robot
Line Follower.
Autonomous chase on an elevated track with laser timing.
What makes it stand out
01
Elevated platform with RGB underglow
The 5490 × 2745 mm track sits on a ~30 cm raised platform with a WS2812B LED strip running underglow around the perimeter and flashing white on finish.
02
Arduino laser-gate timing
Custom laser gates measure start and finish using Arduino micros(). The result shows on a 7-segment display and triggers an RGB flash and Wi-Fi update to the website.
03
Drag Race finals on mirrored tracks
Top-4 qualifiers race head-to-head on identical mirrored tracks in a Double Elimination format. One run per match, finish determined visually by judges. Places 1–4 awarded.
04
Real track features
Crossroads (diamond shape), a diagonal bridge crossing, and 4–5 U-turn serpentines along the full track. White line 19–25 mm on a black background.
05
10-second self-recovery rule
If a robot leaves the track, it has 10 seconds to return on its own with no penalty. Fail to recover → manually placed behind the line with +20s penalty (one time per attempt). Second slip → attempt disqualified.
Competition format
- 01Level 1 (Qualification): Loop Track, 2 attempts per team, ranked by average time. Top-4 advance.
- 02Level 2 (Finals): Face-to-Face Drag Race on mirrored tracks, Double Elimination, places 1–4 awarded.
- 03Per attempt: maximum 2 minutes, 5-minute window to reach the judge after being called.
- 04Tiebreaker: equal time → compare penalty seconds → extra run.
Technical specs
- Format
- Fully autonomous · No remote allowed
- Robot size
- 25 × 20 × 20 cm
- Max weight
- 1.5 kg with battery
- Power
- Internal battery, up to 12V DC
- Controllers
- Arduino · ESP32 · STM32 · RPi Pico
- Sensors
- IR · ToF · photodiode (≤8 ch) · encoders · IMU
- Penalties
- +20s (slip), +40s (no start in 30s), DNF = 120s + penalties
- Banned
- Cameras · Wi-Fi/BT · magnets · glue · suction · fans
Arena
- Track
- 5490 × 2745 mm, white line 19–25 mm on black
- Platform
- ~30 cm elevated, ~6590 × 3845 mm total
- Green zone
- 50 cm border around track
- Safety border
- ~8 cm rail around platform
- RGB
- WS2812B underglow (rainbow cycle), white flash on finish
- Timing
- Arduino laser gates with micros() resolution, 7-segment display
- Access
- 2 wooden staircases, 3 steps × ~10 cm
Teams competing in this categoryView Line Follower →
Category B · Autonomous Mini Sumo
Mini Sumo.
The last robot standing — Yuhkoh wins.
★First standardised Mini Sumo championship in Uzbekistan
What makes it stand out
01
Yuhkoh — complete push-out
Victory is awarded only when the opponent is fully pushed out of the ring. The Japanese term Yuhkoh defines the win condition — no points, no judges, no doubt.
02
Mandatory 5-second start delay
Every match starts with a 5-second delay after the signal. Strategy and reaction logic, not just being faster off the line. False start → foul; second foul in match → round loss.
03
Three randomised starting positions
Face-to-Face, Side-by-Side, or Back-to-Back — judge announces the configuration before each round. A robot has to dominate from every angle.
04
Three-phase tournament with Triangle Duel finals
Six groups round-robin → 12-team Single Elimination → Triangle Duel Finals where three finalists fight pairwise (A vs B, B vs C, A vs C). Standings by total wins.
05
Full dohyō stage with Shiro-Tawara and Shikiri
770 mm ring with 2.5 cm white Shiro-Tawara edge, two 2 × 8 cm Shikiri lines 20 cm apart, on a ~50 cm platform with an RGB rainbow strip and 50 cm green zone.
Competition format
- 01Phase 1: Six groups, round-robin, best-of-3 matches per pair.
- 02Phase 2: Top-2 from each group → 12-team Single Elimination → 3 finalists.
- 03Phase 3: Triangle Duel — A vs B · B vs C · A vs C, ranked by total wins. Tiebreaker: Golden Match — first robot out loses.
- 04Match interruptions: clinch > 10s → restart; both stuck 15s → restart; second occurrence → draw.
Technical specs
- Format
- Fully autonomous · No remote allowed
- Robot size
- 20 × 20 cm (height unlimited)
- Max weight
- 1.5 kg
- Start delay
- Mandatory 5 seconds after signal
- Required
- ON/OFF switch · technical inspection (size/weight/delay)
- Controllers
- Arduino · ESP32 · STM32 · RPi Pico
- Sensors
- IR · ultrasonic · ToF · encoders · IMU · cameras
- Banned
- Magnets · glue · suction · dangerous combat elements
Arena
- Ring
- ⌀ 770 mm, black matte fanera ≥ 12 mm
- White border
- 2.5 cm Shiro-Tawara edge
- Shikiri lines
- 2 × 8 cm, 20 cm apart, brown
- Platform
- ~50 cm elevated
- Green zone
- 50 cm ring around platform
- RGB
- WS2812B around ring (rainbow cycle)
- Access
- 2 staircases, 3 steps × ~17 cm
Teams competing in this categoryView Mini Sumo →
Category C · Robot Combat
MiniRoboWar.
Three fights. Three ways to win. No finals.
★First MiniRoboWar event in Uzbekistan
What makes it stand out
01
No final stage — every fight counts
Each robot fights 3 separate matches against random opponents. There is no playoff bracket — the podium is decided by accumulated points across all three fights.
02
Three ways to win
KO — push opponent fully out of arena, fight ends immediately. Immobilization — opponent unable to move for 10 seconds. Judges decision — if neither happens within 2 minutes.
03
5-criteria judge scoring (100 pts)
Aggression (20), Control & maneuverability (20), Technical superiority (20), Structural durability (20), Damage on opponent (20). Used when no KO or immobilization occurs.
04
Structurally expandable robots
Start size is locked at 20 × 20 × 20 cm, but robots may expand structurally once the fight begins. Weapons, ramps and flippers are allowed up to the 2 kg limit.
05
Circular arena with polycarbonate walls
⌀ 2000 mm battle floor with 1300 mm transparent polycarbonate walls forming a cylinder, on a ~50 cm elevated platform with green zone and 8 cm safety border.
Competition format
- 01Each team fights 3 separate matches against random opponents.
- 02Points: Win = 3, Draw = 1, Loss = 0. Top-3 by total points → podium.
- 03Tiebreaker: more wins → total judge scores across 3 fights → extra deciding fight.
- 04Match length: 2 minutes. Both stand 15 seconds → draw. Stuck at wall 10 seconds → considered immobilized.
Technical specs
- Format
- RC · Manual control only
- Start size
- 20 × 20 × 20 cm (may expand structurally during fight)
- Max weight
- 2 kg (all components)
- Required
- Clear ON/OFF switch for emergency stop
- Match time
- 2 minutes maximum
- Banned
- Explosives · flammables · liquid systems · radio jammers · open HV
Arena
- Battle floor
- ⌀ 2000 mm circle, MDF/plywood 18 mm grey
- Safety walls
- 1300 mm polycarbonate cylinder, 6–8 mm thickness
- Platform
- ~50 cm elevated, ~3200 × 3200 mm square
- Green zone
- 50 cm border around arena
- Safety border
- ~8 cm rail around platform
- RGB
- WS2812B underglow + red flash on KO
- Access
- 2 staircases, 3 steps × ~17 cm
Teams competing in this categoryView MiniRoboWar →
Category D · Robot Football
Robo Football.
Stadium with auto-scored goals and real match flow.
★First qualification-based Robo Football tournament in Uzbekistan
What makes it stand out
01
First proper qualification tournament in Uzbekistan
Other local events are exhibition demos — two robots from one team playing each other. SFRC runs a full championship between independent teams.
02
2 robots + 2 drivers per team
Each team fields 2 robots controlled by 2 drivers, plus 1 trainer/coach (18+). Drivers may swap controllers between robots during the match. Coaches cannot intervene during play.
03
IR-beam auto-scoring
When the ball crosses the goal line it falls into a collector under the goal where a TCRT5000 / E18-D80NK IR sensor triggers an ESP32. The score posts to the website over Wi-Fi automatically.
04
Goal effects: white flash + sound
Each detected goal fires a WS2812B white flash on the platform underglow, a 1000 Hz tone on a PAM8403 speaker, and the score animates on the public display.
05
Real match flow: 2 halves, ET, penalties
2 halves × 2 minutes with a 1-minute break. Tie at full time → 2 minutes of Extra Time with the golden-goal rule. Still tied → penalty shootout.
Competition format
- 01Pre-match: all robots weighed and measured, placed in quarantine.
- 02Match: 2 halves × 2 minutes, 1-minute break.
- 03Tie at full time → 2 minutes Extra Time (golden goal).
- 04Still tied → Penalty shootout.
- 05No-show: 3 announcements over 2 minutes → team is removed from match.
Technical specs
- Format
- RC · 2 robots + 2 drivers + 1 coach per team
- Robot size
- 25 × 25 × 25 cm
- Max weight
- 1.5 kg (all components)
- Control
- Any wireless channel · controller off-field
- Required
- Clearly visible team affiliation on robots
- Ball contact
- Less than 50% of ball surface · no full capture
- Banned
- Sharp edges · full ball capture · ball-inside-shell designs
Arena
- Field
- 120 × 90 cm green surface, 12 mm plywood base
- Walls
- 30 cm clear acrylic / polycarbonate (4–6 mm)
- Goals
- 56 × 40 cm with net, aluminium frame
- Ball
- Foam ⌀ 6–8 cm
- Platform
- ~50 cm elevated, ~130 × 100 cm table
- Goal sensor
- IR beam (TCRT5000/E18-D80NK) → ESP32 → Wi-Fi → website
- Effects
- WS2812B underglow + white flash + PAM8403 speaker beep
- Access
- 2 staircases, 3 steps × ~17 cm
Teams competing in this categoryView Robo Football →
SFRC 2026 · Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Built for the next world finalists.
Want to compete, or learn more about the Robotics and Engineering Association of Uzbekistan? Get in touch through our association.
Robotics and Engineering Association of Uzbekistan · Tashkent, Uzbekistan · 2026