A team of undergraduate and graduate students from the University of Seoul poses after winning the top excellence award at the second competition of the 2026 Autonomous Driving Robot Race held at Chungbuk National University’s campus in Ochang, North Chungcheong Province, from May 22-24. Courtesy of University of Seoul A team of undergraduate and graduate students from the University of Seoul won the top excellence award at the second competition of the 2026 Autonomous Driving Robot Race held at Chungbuk National University’s campus in Ochang, North Chungcheong Province, from May 22-24.The university said its team, called UOS Robotics, demonstrated consistent and reliable performance throughout the final race after advancing to the finals in fourth place through a fiercely contested preliminary round.The school added that the team ultimately secured second place and received the excellence award by making the best use of advanced software and robust algorithms.UOS Robotics consisted of nine students majoring in mechanical and information engineering. Seven of them are undergraduates: Choi Myoung-kyo, Kim Yeon-jae, Lee Yu-min, Kim Ji-hoon, Choi In-woo, Yang In-joon and Kang Min-ho. The team also included graduate students Kang Doo-in and Hong Su-hyun.The team participated in the competition with support from the UOS Learning Community Support Program, a component of the University Innovation Support Project.The event, organized by the Autonomous Driving Robot Race Competition Committee, brought together eight teams from seven universities, including Gachon University, Kookmin University, Sungkyunkwan University, Sejong University and Hongik University.It is the only autonomous vehicle racing competition in South Korea where multiple self-driving robot platforms start simultaneously and navigate real-world driving challenges, including lane changes and overtaking, in a head-to-head race environment.“I sincerely thank every team member who worked tirelessly throughout the testing period despite the sudden heat wave,” said Choi Myoung-kyo, a senior and the team leader. “Building on the mentoring and guidance of our predecessors, we devoted the winter break to improving our algorithms and software, and those efforts ultimately paid off with this achievement.”“During the winter break, the students conducted independent study sessions and concentrated on refining their algorithms and developing their own software to better handle diverse driving scenarios,” said Hwang Myun-joong, a professor in the department of mechanical and information engineering who advised the team.He added, “The most significant accomplishment was that they successfully completed the race without a single error or accident, despite the complex scenarios that can arise in an actual racing environment. This achievement reflects the students’ remarkable technical growth.”