TEKNOFEST Mediterranean, one of Turkey’s most important events in the field of technology and innovation, hosted exciting moments this year. The Robotaxi Passenger Autonomous Vehicle Competition held in the Informatics Valley brought together projects that shed light on future transportation technologies and young talents. Throughout the competition, autonomous vehicles developed by young engineers demonstrated their skills on challenging courses.
38 teams competed in the TEKNOFEST Robotaxi Passenger Autonomous Vehicle Competition final!
The Robotaxi Passenger Autonomous Vehicle Competition attracted great interest from young engineers from all over Turkey. A total of 367 teams from 15 different cities applied to take part in this prestigious competition. Applications were evaluated in two different categories: Ready-made Vehicle and Original Vehicle.
In the ready-made vehicle category, teams used vehicles provided by Bilişim Vadisi, while in the original vehicle category, they competed with vehicles of their own design. The high number of applications made the elimination phase of the competition quite challenging. The jury members meticulously examined the projects of the applied teams and determined the teams that would take part in the final stage of the competition.
As a result of the evaluation, which was carried out by taking into consideration criteria such as the innovation, technical adequacy and applicability of the projects, 38 teams were entitled to advance to the finals. These teams had the chance to compete in the final stage held in the Informatics Valley.
The final stage was held in the Informatics Valley for four days. Young engineers tried to fulfill difficult tasks in a real track environment with the autonomous vehicles they developed. The vehicles were expected to pick up and drop off passengers, park, and follow the specified route without error.
Competitors competed fiercely against each other, trying to control their vehicles in the best way possible with the algorithms and sensor systems they developed. This exciting competition, which lasted for four days, was the scene of unforgettable moments for both competitors and viewers.
Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır and TEKNOFEST Board Chairman Selçuk Bayraktar came to Bilişim Vadisi to watch the final stage of the competition and support young talents. Minister Kacır and Bayraktar chatted with the young engineers, received information about their projects and congratulated them.
The teams that won the competition were crowned with both material and moral awards. The first three teams in the original and ready-made vehicle categories were given significant cash prizes. In addition, Bilişim Vadisi General Manager Erkam Tüzgen announced that all the winning teams will be given a place in the incubation center free of charge for 6 months.