Construction Robotics Hackathon 2026

about this event

The first ever Construction Robotics Hackathon: three days in Aachen on real industrial robots, solving real construction use cases.

Construction has too much work and too few hands — and the robots that could help already exist. What's missing are people who make them useful on a real site. At the first Construction Robotics Hackathon you won't build hardware from scratch: you'll take real industrial robots, sensors and modern software and turn them into working solutions for real construction use cases. In teams, over one weekend, on real machines.

The weekend: - Hands-on challenges built around real construction use cases — solved on real industrial robots - Workshops to get you up to speed with the robots and tools before you build - Interdisciplinary teams — robotics, civil engineering, architecture, computer science - Final demos, prizes — and an afterparty to close the weekend

Challenge areas: Three to four use-case challenges — each one a real construction task to solve with industrial robots. The exact challenges will be announced before the event. The areas we're exploring: - Assembly & Installation — teach a robot arm to handle and place real construction components with precision. - Surface Finishing — from human motion to robot motion: capture how a trade works and let the robot repeat it. - Construction Logistics — autonomous material transport across a busy site. - Perception & Safety — use industrial sensor technology to make robots aware of the site around them.

What you take away: - Hands-on time with industrial robots you won't get in a lecture hall - Direct contact with construction and technology companies - A share of a prize pool of up to €10,000 - The chance to grow your solution into a follow-up project with CTRL

Who it is for: Students of robotics, civil engineering, architecture and computer science — plus startups, young professionals and anyone who wants to put robots to work on real construction problems. You don't need to be a robotics expert: teams mix disciplines, and workshops get you started.

How to take part: Participation is free: the workshops, your time on the robots, and food and drinks across the whole weekend, afterparty included. Places are given by application — apply on the CTRL website at ctrl-rwth.de/events/ctrl-hackathon-2026 by 30 October 2026. Every application is read by the CTRL board, and we confirm your spot by email. Questions? Write to info@ctrl-rwth.de.

Partners: Presented by CTRL — Construction Technology and Robotics Laboratory, Gateway Factory, Robotics Collective Aachen and ICOM (RWTH Aachen University). Supported by ABB Robotics, RBTX by igus, Siemens, OpenAI, Birdwave, Aachen Building Experts e. V., Collective Incubator and ESRA — European Student Robotics Association.

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