On a sweltering July weekend in northeastern Thailand, 93 young teams gathered at Khon Kaen University to prove they could outsmart disaster, outmaneuver opponents, and guide visitors through tricky terrain — all with robots they built themselves.
The national robotics competition, called "E-SAN Thailand Robotic 2026 Season 1," took place July 17–18, 2026, at the Sai Suri Jutikul Auditorium on the Khon Kaen University campus. More than 200 students, supported by 77 teachers and advisors, traveled from schools and colleges across the country to compete in a high-energy event organized by the university's Faculty of Education and its Center of Excellence for Coding and Digital Citizenship Human Development, in partnership with Friend Robot Company.
The competition featured three main challenges. In the Rescue Robot category, teams programmed machines to navigate simulated disaster zones and locate victims — a direct, or practice, for real-life emergency response. The Radio-Controlled Sumo Robot event put 1-kilogram machines head-to-head in a battle of speed and strategy. And the Guide Robot challenge tasked students with designing the kind of helpful robot ushers you might find walking visitors around a university campus.
Judges evaluated each team on accuracy, how fast their robots performed, their strategic thinking, and how well teammates worked together.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Issara Kanjug, who leads the Faculty of Education at Khon Kaen University, said the competition is about more than building cool machines. "This event is a venue for inspiring and developing key 21st-century competencies among Thai youth," he explained. "The greatest victory is not just trophies, but the body of knowledge, skills, teamwork, and inspiration that every participant will carry forward to create innovations for society in the future."
The initiative fits into a broader push by Thai educators to prepare young people for a world where coding, robotics, and digital skills are increasingly important in the job market. By giving students a place to experiment, fail, and try again, organizers hope to spark careers in science and technology that could benefit communities across Thailand for years to come.