We're back from Denver, where we competed in one of the world's largest robotics events, the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC). And we know one thing: it was an experience of a lifetime.

For our Ústí nad Labem team, which is one of two Czech FRC teams, participating in the international FRC competition meant competing in conditions that most of the 3,700 other teams in the world cannot even imagine. While our competitors arrived with fully equipped trailers, spare parts supplies and often more than 50 technical staff, we managed everything with what we had or were able to provide: with intelligence, skill and enormous commitment from each of us. Maybe that's why every partial success was all the more valuable.

This year we had to choose a different method of transporting the robot to give ourselves the time needed to prepare the robot. The change was that instead of transporting it by cargo about 21 days in advance, we transported it together with us by air. This involved compromises, and the robot had to be more fragile in terms of construction than we wanted. But you know what? We managed it.

Every ride, which we were supposed to leave, we left, and that in a high standard. Quick repairs, improvisation under pressure, races against time before the next match. After each match, our team was waiting with tools in hand even before the robot reached the pit. Repair, tighten, stabilize, and back on the field. This is exactly what makes a real team. On the field, he did exactly what was expected of him. He fulfilled his role without hesitation. Because the details matter and the people behind them matter even more.

However, as the rounds increased, so did the improvisations. But it didn't matter, everything worked. The robot was always on the starting line on time, functional and ready to fight. Giving up was simply out of the question. The last match of the qualification was a ruthless fight. Literally. We put everything into a fierce defense without a trace and didn't let our opponent breathe, we fulfilled our task until the last second.

In the end, the qualifiers ranked us 34th out of 55 teams. It was a modest stepping stone, but not the end of our story. On the contrary, we were selected in the draft by the 7th alliance led by the team 1339 Angelbotics (10th in the qualifiers), alongside 4068 Bearbotics (14th), us and as substitutes 6652 Tigres (17th). An alliance composed of teams with a common goal – to advance as far as possible.

But the qualifying battles took their toll. The robot arrived after the last qualifier quite battered. There was about an hour, not even a second left until the first playoff match. What followed was something between mechanical surgery and pure madness. Screw after screw, panel after panel, part after part. No pause, no respite, just focused hands and heads that knew exactly what they were doing. The clock was ticking. The atmosphere was getting thicker. And then 5 minutes before the mandatory queuing start, the robot was back on its wheels. Whole, ready, as if nothing had happened.

Gradually, spare parts ran out, and even cable ties came into play. The robot ended up looking more like a bandaged veteran than a racing robot.

In the quarterfinals, substitutes from the alliance also got the opportunity to compete. We were cheering and believing at that moment. However, our alliance narrowly lost in this part of the competition and we finished in an excellent 4th place.

In summary: qualification → 34th place → playoff → quarterfinals → 4th place overall

For a team with our background, with a distance of about 8,500 km from home, our lightweight construction and other disadvantages, this is a result that gives you goosebumps. This success was also possible thanks to the team 1410 The Kraken, who provided us with their background for two days of preparation. Furthermore, thanks to all the other teams and people who helped us in Denver; whether with spare parts, good advice, or just encouragement at the right moment. The FRC community is something truly special and we felt it firsthand in Denver. Thank you!

A who made up the RobUL team? 13 students from secondary schools in our region:

• 6 male and 1 female student from Secondary school and high school Chomutov (Team Chobot)
• 2 students from High School ot and Secondary School Štětí (PaperBox team)
• 2 students from Resslova Secondary School, Usti nad Labem (LEDbot team)
• 1 male and 1 female student from Josef Jungmann Grammar School Litoměřice (CircuitBreakers team)

The RobUL team is part of the "Robot Team for International Competitions" activity of the RUR project - Region to University, University of the Region, implemented at the Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem, specifically at our Faculty of Science (rur.ujep.cz).

Supports our journey Innovation Center of the Ústí Region (icuk.cz) and other great partners, without whom participation on the world stage would not be possible:

• Municipal cultural facilities in Litoměřice – Cultural and Creative Center in Litoměřice and Garden of Bohemia
• ORLEN Unipetrol Foundation
• Ústí Region
• ACTHERM engineering, which is also the main partner of the Chobot team
• MALFINI
• WEICON Teplice
• COREP Litvinov
• Sports center SUN Ústí nad Labem
• youtuber Murphy

Thank you, we really appreciate it.

#FRC #RobUL #RUR #UJEP #ICUK #FIRSTRobotics #DenverRegional2026 #MadeInCzechia

Authors of the text:

RNDr. Jan Krejčí. Ph.D. (PřF UJEP), mentor of the Chobot team and the RobUL team

Ing. Tamara Klein (PřF UJEP), guarantor of the activity “Robot Team for International Competitions” (RobUL)

Press release here