The Dubai Future Foundation has selected 10 teams from universities across the UAE to advance to the finals of the fourth edition of the Emirates Robotics Competition. These finals will take place as part of the inaugural Dubai Future Week, which the foundation has scheduled from November 18 to 21, 2026, at Emirates Towers and the Museum of the Future. The competition finals will be open to the public on November 21, allowing attendees to observe the demonstrations directly.
The foundation’s announcement listed the 10 finalist teams as E-Shocks and MeowBot from the American University of Ras Al Khaimah, TechBook from Amity University Dubai, JALPARI, The Page Turners and Cognicore from Manipal Academy of Higher Education Dubai, 4to1MUX and TIGER from Rochester Institute of Technology Dubai, Titanium from the American University of Sharjah, and WastedPotential from Middlesex University Dubai. According to the Dubai Future Foundation, the winners will be revealed on the last day of Dubai Future Week. The foundation added that honorees will receive cash prizes and scholarship opportunities at Rochester Institute of Technology Dubai.
The Dubai Future Foundation reported that this edition of the competition centers on developing robots for logistical tasks in major libraries. The foundation stated that the challenge encourages participants to create autonomous solutions for book location and retrieval. Such tasks reflect practical applications that the event seeks to address through student innovation.
The Emirates Robotics Competition was launched in 2023, the Dubai Future Foundation said in its announcement. The foundation organizes the event in partnership with Dubai Future Labs, Rochester Institute of Technology, Khalifa University, the American University of Sharjah and Mohammed Bin Rashid Library. Since its start, the competition has aimed to highlight emerging robotics talent and build expertise among UAE university students.
Dubai Future Week, organized by the Dubai Future Foundation, incorporates the Challenge concept to showcase forward-looking initiatives. The foundation described the week as a platform that integrates multiple events focused on innovation and technology. Public attendance at the robotics finals on November 21 forms one element of the broader program.
A report by Gulf News on October 26, 2026, noted that a UAE student robotics team earned silver at the FIRST Global Challenge held in Incheon, South Korea, that year. The publication indicated this result adds to prior international podium finishes by UAE teams in similar events. Such achievements provide context for domestic programs that nurture robotics capabilities among students.
The Rochester Institute of Technology Dubai website details that first-place recipients in the Emirates Robotics Competition will receive 15,000 AED along with scholarship offers for master’s degrees in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and related fields. The site explains that the contest includes phases of simulation, hardware testing and final demonstrations. These stages have already narrowed the field to the 10 teams set to compete in November.