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 lap on a closed track with Arduino laser-gate timing.
What makes it stand out
01
DIY principle — only self-built robots
Ready-made platforms are banned: Makeblock, Kakarobot, JSumo, mBot and similar. The chassis, electronics and code must be original work. Individual components (ESP32, Arduino, sensors) are allowed.
02
Inverted track: 20 mm white line on black
Closed-loop track with straight segments, gentle and sharp turns, and intersections. Line width is exactly 20 mm. 2 minutes allowed for sensor calibration before inspection.
03
Arduino laser gates — timing
Final time = laser timer + penalty seconds. 1st beam break = START, 2nd = FINISH. Result shown on a 7-segment display.
04
Two attempts, best time counts
Each team gets 2 attempts — the best result counts. Tiebreaker: compare penalty seconds, then a deciding golden run.
05
Winner earns FGC quota — Korea
The Cat A winner receives a direct quota to the FGC Central Asia regional → World Final in Korea.
Competition format
- 012 attempts per team; best time counts.
- 02If the laser beam is not crossed within 30 seconds — attempt closes with +40s penalty.
- 03Maximum attempt duration — 2 minutes. DNF (did not finish) = 120s + penalties.
- 04Tiebreaker: compare penalty seconds → extra golden run.
- 05After being called, team must reach the judge's table within 5 minutes. Late → attempt cancelled.
Technical specs
- Format
- Fully autonomous · No remote allowed
- Robot size
- 25 × 20 × 20 cm (H × L × W)
- 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
- +40s (beam not crossed in 30s) · +10s (off-track >3s) · +10s (robot touched) · DNF = 120s + penalties
- Banned
- Cameras · Wi-Fi/BT at inspection · magnets · glue · suction · fans
Arena
- Track
- Closed-loop, 20 mm white line on black (inverted)
- Elements
- Straight segments, gentle and sharp turns, intersections
- Timing
- Arduino laser gates: 1st break = START, 2nd = FINISH
- Calibration
- 2 minutes before inspection for sensor tuning
- Green zone
- Participant moves to the Green Zone after start and stays there until run ends
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 · Heavy Edition
MiniRoboWar.
Single Elimination · RC control · 1.8×1.8 m arena.
★First MiniRoboWar event in Uzbekistan
What makes it stand out
01
Single Elimination — every bout is knockout
Direct elimination format. The loser exits the tournament. No groups, no second chance — every bout is decisive.
02
Two ways to win
Immobilization — opponent makes no controlled movement for 10 seconds. Judges' decision — if no winner is determined within 3 minutes, scored on 5 criteria (max 100 points).
03
5-criteria judge scoring (100 pts)
Aggression (20) · Control & maneuver (20) · Technical superiority (20) · Stability (20) · Impact degree (20). Applied if no winner after 3 minutes.
04
Heavy Edition: up to 2.5 kg, 250×250 mm
Max weight 2.5 kg, size — strictly 250×250 mm (L × W), height unlimited. RC control only. A clear power cut-off system is mandatory.
05
1800×1800 mm arena with 1300 mm transparent walls
Battle zone 1800×1800 mm, MDF surface — flat and smooth. Transparent protective wall 1300 mm high. Robot stuck at wall for more than 10 seconds → considered immobilized.
Competition format
- 01Format: Single Elimination — direct knockout.
- 02Bout duration: 3 minutes.
- 03Win: immobilize opponent (10s no movement) or judges' decision after 3 minutes.
- 04Both robots motionless for 15s simultaneously → draw declared.
- 05After being called: 60 seconds to reach the control zone. Late → technical defeat.
Technical specs
- Format
- RC · remote control only
- Robot size
- 250 × 250 mm (L × W), height unlimited
- Max weight
- 2.5 kg (all components and battery)
- Required
- Clear power cut-off system (ON/OFF)
- Bout time
- 3 minutes maximum
- Banned
- Chemicals · liquids · glue · radio jammers · throwing weapons · broken glass · smoke devices
Arena
- Battle zone
- 1800 × 1800 mm (inner combat area)
- Protective walls
- 1300 mm — transparent protective wall
- Surface
- MDF — flat and smooth
Teams competing in this categoryView MiniRoboWar →
Category D · Robo Football · Alliance 2+2
Robo Football.
Random alliances, team strategy, real match flow.
★First qualification-based Robo Football tournament in Uzbekistan
What makes it stand out
01
Random alliance system — inspired by FIRST Tech Challenge
Each team arrives with one robot. Before each qualification match, teams are randomly assigned into alliances of 2. Every match — a new partner, a new strategy.
02
Roster: 2 participants + 1 mentor. 1 driver on field
Each team = 2 participants + 1 mentor (18+), 1 robot. On field: 1 driver per alliance team. Controller switching is FORBIDDEN — each driver operates only their own robot with their own controller.
03
Qualification → Alliance Selection → 3-Alliance Finals
Top-3 teams by qualification ranking choose partners from teams 4–10. Three final alliances are formed. Finals — round-robin: each alliance plays 2 matches against each other.
04
Real match flow: 2 halves, ET, penalties
2 halves × 2 minutes, 1-minute break. Tie → 2 minutes Extra Time (golden goal). Still tied → penalty shootout. Own goal counts for the opponent.
05
Winner (alliance captain) earns FGC quota — Korea
Only the alliance captain of the Championship Alliance (ranked #1 in qualification) receives the FGC quota. The partner team receives prizes but not the FGC quota.
Competition format
- 01Phase 1 — Qualification: random alliances, equal number of matches. Alliance win = 3 pts, draw = 1, loss = 0. Tiebreaker: goal difference → goals scored. Top-3 advance to finals.
- 02Phase 2 — Alliance Selection: teams ranked 1, 2, 3 choose partners from teams 4–10. Three final alliances formed.
- 03Phase 3 — Finals: round-robin (A1 vs A2, A1 vs A3, A2 vs A3). Winner by number of wins. Tiebreaker: golden goal.
- 04Match: 2 halves × 2 min, 1 min break. Tie → ET 2 min (golden goal) → penalties.
- 05Violations: touching ball/robot by hand → free kick; 3 violations → penalty. No-show on 3 calls in 2 min → removed from match.
Technical specs
- Format
- RC · 1 robot per team · 1 driver on field
- Robot size
- 25 × 25 × 25 cm (H × L × W)
- Max weight
- 1.5 kg (all components)
- Control
- Any wireless channel · controller off-field
- Controller switching
- FORBIDDEN — each driver controls only their own robot
- Ball contact
- Less than 50% of ball surface · no full capture
- Banned
- Sharp edges · full ball capture
Arena
- Field
- 1800 × 2750 mm (width 1.8 m · length 2.75 m)
- Walls
- Transparent acrylic / polycarbonate
- Violations
- Touching ball/robot by hand → free kick; 3 violations → penalty
- Own goal
- Counts for opponent, play resumes from centre
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