KB Aurora shines for second year at RoboCross 2015

There was double joy for Skolkovo resident robotics startup KB Aurora at this year’s RoboCross competition in Nizhny Novgorod – victory for its student-run affiliate in the main category, and top spot for the main company in a spinoff contest run by Skolkovo.

Aurora Robotics with its winning rig attached to a GAZel Business. Photo: sk.ru

RoboCross is one of Russia’s biggest robotics competitions, organized by Oleg Deripaska’s Volnoe Delo Foundation, the Skolkovo Foundation and the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs of the Russian government.

“Robocross is turning from student competitions, which were rightly called “the pioneer competitions”, to a real adult examination of unmanned vehicles,” said Albert Yefimov, head of the Skolkovo Robotics Center.

KB Aurora produces universal, cognitive control software that allows vehicles to navigate their way along all manner of roads and other surfaces and won a 5 million ruble minigrant from the Skolkovo grant committee for winning last year’s RoboCross.

At this year’s event, first place in the main category went to the young Aurora team of students from Ryazan State Radioengineering University.

The students used the same car (a GAZel Business) as the senior squad of Aurora, but with its own management system.

That team emerged victorious out of a field of six in the special award inaugurated by the Skolkovo Robotics Center.  The top three received certificates giving them the right to a 5 million ruble mini-grant from Skolkovo and the right to become Skolkovo residents (for the two that were not already).

Skolkovo's Albert Yefimov, left, and Stanislav Gol of KB Aurora. Photo: sk.ru

RoboCross was attended by 18 teams from Moscow, Ryazan, Kovrov, Nizhny Novgorod and Vladimir, an all-time record for the number of competitors for Russian unmanned vehicles competitions and double last year’s figure. Traditionally, competitions are in two categories: ground and aerial vehicles, but this year the third nomination has been added by Skolkovo.

The UAV category featured nine teams: Fidesis (Moscow), LeTalo (Vladimir), Red Eyes (Kovrov), LeTalo2 (Vladimir), 4x4 (Nizhniy Novgorod), Technoton (Ryazan), Roboton (Ryazan), UMiKo-Fly (Moscow) and PhysTech MIPT (Moscow).

LeTalo Robotics emerged as winner. It was boosted last year by joining the Skolkovo ecosystem as a resident.

The other winners were:

• KSTA Team (automotive robot based on Gazel-Business) in the category “For commitment to success.”
• MK Ultra-NN (robot based on mini-quadrocycle) in the category “most-promising innovation.”
• The referee’s prize went to UMiKo (automotive robot based on KIA) from MAMI Moscow State Technical University.
• The prize “For teamwork” was given to the team of The Central research and development automobile and engine institute NAMI (the platter based on LADA Kalina sedan.
• FAUST received the “best technical solution” award for its Robotank innovation.

Skolkovo PR and Communications Department assistant Kyuder Tsedenov contributed to this article.