2nd RoCo Challenge @ IROS 2026

FAQ

If you have any questions about the 2026 RoCo Challenge, please check the FAQ below. For any further inquiries, feel free to contact us at rocochallenge@gmail.com.

Question Answer
What is the RoCo Challenge? The RoCo Challenge is a competition focused on evaluating Physical AI capbilities in physics understanding, dexterous manipulation, long-horizon reasoning, and generalizability, using assembly tasks as the evaluation benchmark.
How many tasks are there in the challenge? The competition consists of two tracks, and each track contains multiple tasks. Please checkout the website for more details.
When and where is the challenge held? The challenge will be held at the IROS 2026 conference in Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
How can I participate in the challenge? Teams can register for the challenge using this signup form.
Which track should I join? Teams can indicate their preferred track during registration. We will do our best to accommodate team preferences and confirm their selections.
Do all the team members need to register? No, only team captains need to register for the challenge.
Will I compete onsite during the challenge? Onsite finalists announced on August 31 will have the opportunity to compete onsite during the challenge.
How are the finalists selected? Teams submit proposals by June 22. Pre-finalists will be announced on June 29, then teams compete in simulation through August. The leaderboard closes and onsite finalists are announced on August 31.
What robot platforms will be used? We will use robot hardware from DexMate and Sharpa, thanks to their support.
What are the prizes for the challenge? We are excited to announce a total prize pool of $20K+ (Tentative) for the 2nd RoCo Challenge, generously sponsored by our partners!