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The "2026 WildBot Robotics Challenge," commissioned by the Administration for Digital Industries of the Ministry of Digital Affairs and organized by the Taiwan Industry-Academia Innovation Association, was held on May 27–28 at the Kaohsiung Exhibition Center. The competition brought together more than 20 elite teams from institutions including National Taiwan University, National Tsing Hua University, and National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University. "SparrowTen," a cross-institutional team formed by Feng Chia University students and alumni, advanced through every round to claim fourth place nationally, demonstrating the outstanding capabilities of Feng Chia's students and faculty.
SparrowTen was composed of five members: Feng Chia University graduate students Po-Yu Chiu and Yu-Chan Lin from the Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science, and Feng Chia alumni Nien-Tse Wu, Pao-Hua Hsu, and Tzu-Lin Chien, who are currently pursuing graduate studies at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University and National Cheng Kung University.
SparrowTen was led by Po-Yu Chiu and Tzu-Lin Chien, graduate students in the Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science at Feng Chia University, joined by Nien-Tse Wu, Pao-Hua Hsu, and Yu-Chan Lin—all Feng Chia University alumni currently pursuing graduate studies at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University and National Cheng Kung University. This team, united across institutions by the shared identity of being Feng Chia alumni, qualified for the final round by placing third in the preliminary stage. Their final fourth-place finish trailed only the three National Tsing Hua University teams that claimed the top three positions, with National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University placing fifth.
The team's origins trace back to a single course. Chiu and Lin, among others, enrolled in "Robot Navigation and Exploration," offered through the Taiwan AI College Alliance (TAICA), a course taught by Professor Min-Chun Hu of the Department of Computer Science at National Tsing Hua University. At Feng Chia University, the course was championed by Instructor Shang-Chih Lin of the Department of Automatic Control Engineering, who also served as the team's faculty advisor for the competition. Instructor Lin noted that after completing the course, several students proactively sought out registration for WildBot, and during the preparation period made dedicated trips to National Tsing Hua University to attend workshops, familiarizing themselves with the competition format and venue.
On the competition floor, SparrowTen left behind another moment worth remembering. During a critical match, a peer team's equipment unexpectedly malfunctioned. Without hesitation, SparrowTen lent their own equipment to help the opposing team complete the round—a gesture that ultimately enabled that team to earn an award. The decision may well have affected SparrowTen's own standing, but the Feng Chia students demonstrated, through action, a spirit of mutual goodwill rarely seen on the competition stage.
More than 20 teams competed side by side, tackling robotics challenges including point-A-to-point-B navigation and object retrieval.
The SparrowTen team delivers a presentation of their implementation methodology at the final venue, explaining their technical strategy and problem-solving approach.
Feng Chia University's competing students attended a pre-competition workshop at National Tsing Hua University to familiarize themselves with the competition rules and venue characteristics.
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