Competition
The World Robot Olympiad is an international educational robotics competition that each year proposes various challenges. Each team must choose the one that excites them the most and build an innovative robot.
Competition Categories
The WRO offers various competition categories so every team — regardless of age or experience — can find the challenge that excites them the most. Categories are the same every year; the annual season theme shapes the specific missions within each.
RoboMission
8–19 years
RoboMission is a challenge-based competition where students design, construct, and program an autonomous robot to solve specific tasks on a themed game field. The field is randomly set up at the start of each round, so the robot must make its own decisions during the run. This category tests both technical building skills and programming logic under pressure.
Team Size
2–3 students + coach
Materials
Free choice of hardware & software
Robot Size
Max 25 × 25 × 25 cm
Sub-Categories
Future Innovators
8–19 years
Future Innovators is a project-based competition where teams create innovative intelligent robotics solutions that address real-world problems matching the season theme. Judges evaluate the robot solution but also look at aspects of innovation and entrepreneurship — how creative and impactful the idea is, and whether it could work in the real world.
Team Size
2–3 students + coach
Materials
Unrestricted material choices
Robot Size
Must fit in a 2 × 2 × 2 m booth
Sub-Categories
Future Engineers
14–22 years
Future Engineers is an advanced robotics category where older students address current research trends through engineering workflows that solve real-world problems. The current challenge focuses on self-driving cars — teams build autonomous vehicles with steering drive mechanisms that must navigate a tracked course, detecting and responding to obstacles and traffic signs without human intervention.
Team Size
2–3 students + coach
Materials
Free choice of hardware & software
Robot Size
Max 30 × 20 × 30 cm
RoboSports
11–19 years
RoboSports pits two teams against each other, each deploying two fully autonomous robots in a fast-paced sports game. The current challenge is Double Tennis — robots must coordinate to serve, return, and score points on the playfield. Robots can be built from any robotics materials with no motor or sensor limitations, but each robot has a maximum weight of 1.2 kg.
Team Size
2–3 students + coach
Materials
Free choice of hardware & software
Robot Size
Max 20 × 20 × 20 cm (1.2 kg per robot)
Age Groups at a Glance
Age is determined by the year the participant turns that age, not their age on tournament day.
| Category | Sub-Category | Age Range |
|---|---|---|
| RoboMission | Start | 8–12 years |
| Elementary | 8–12 years | |
| Rookie | 11–15 years | |
| Junior | 11–14 years | |
| Senior | 14–19 years | |
| Future Innovators | Elementary | 8–12 years |
| Junior | 11–14 years | |
| Senior | 14–19 years | |
| Future Engineers | — | 14–22 years |
| RoboSports | — | 11–19 years |
Robotics Materials & Platforms
Most WRO categories allow free choice of hardware and software. Teams can use any robotics platform that requires assembly — from LEGO Mindstorms and SPIKE Prime to VEX, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and custom-built solutions using 3D printing.
The only requirement is that robots cannot be compact commercial robots that don’t require assembly. The goal is for participants to learn by building.
You can acquire materials from any authorized distributor. For robotics kits, components, and WRO-approved hardware available in Kenya, visit STEM Shop Kenya — the official recommended supplier for WRO teams.
Shop WRO Kits at STEM Shop Kenya
Robot Specifications by Category
RoboMission
- Materials: Free choice of hardware & software
- Max Size: Max 25 × 25 × 25 cm
- Note: Autonomous robots; any robotics platform
Future Innovators
- Materials: Unrestricted material choices
- Max Size: Fits in 2 × 2 × 2 m booth
- Note: Project-based; presented to judges
Future Engineers
- Materials: Free choice of hardware & software
- Max Size: Max 30 × 20 × 30 cm
- Note: Autonomous driving challenge
RoboSports
- Materials: Free choice of hardware & software
- Max Size: Max 20 × 20 × 20 cm
- Note: Max 1.2 kg per robot; 2 robots per team
Specifications are based on the current WRO season. Always refer to the official WRO Association rules for the latest requirements.