Two ENSTA teams competing in the 2026 French Robotics Cup

Student Life Digital Science & Engineering

Every year, the French Robotics Cup brings together hundreds of students for fun challenges that pit autonomous robots against one another. For the 2026 edition, ENSTA was represented by two student teams and came away with an impressive 17th-place finish.

A Year of Optimizing the Robot

This was the second time the FIPATECH team participated. In 2025, its members came to explore the competition, its level of difficulty, and the rules. They were able to test their robot and identify its weaknesses, as well as discover new technologies by interacting with other teams on site.

“This year, we focused primarily on making the robot more reliable and more complete. The improvements covered the mechanics, the software, the match strategy, and the small secondary PAMI robots.
The goal was to have a system capable of scoring more intelligently and better withstanding the real-world conditions of the competition, particularly with an opponent on the field.”

Jocelyn Deleuil Captain of the FIPATECH team, engineering student at ENSTA

A competition full of twists and turns

Successful certification on the very first day allowed the FIPATECH team to play all five of its matches. The matches followed one after another.

“We experienced moments of programming under time pressure, urgently integrating new sensors, and adjusting our strategy to adapt to our opponents. The atmosphere was unique, with a lot of pressure, but also a very strong collective energy.”

The highlight of the competition? The final match, where, for the first time, all eight of the team’s robots were finally on the field. A particularly powerful moment for the team, marking the culmination of a year of intense work.
 

FIPATECH and Chouquette Team shared a booth. This allowed the two teams to help each other throughout the competition: sharing equipment, debugging software, and providing mutual support throughout the event.

“The atmosphere between the two teams was excellent, and we helped each other out.”

Significant progress

The team, which had ranked 77th in 2025, achieved an impressive 17th place out of 89 teams in 2026.

“Before we left, we announced that our goal was to reach the top 20 in the Senior division. With this 17th-place finish, we’ve achieved that goal, which is a real source of satisfaction for the team.”

The Chouquette Team, for its part, finished in 81st place and returns with a wealth of experience that strengthens its desire to continue the adventure.

Neither team plans to stop there. Participation in the French Robotics Cup is expected to continue with one or two teams: discussions are underway.

“We obviously want to continue this project and build on this year’s success to keep advancing ENSTA in the years to come.”

Both teams thank all the partners who supported them and made it possible to participate in this competition under favorable conditions, as well as the ENSTA Foundation, which selected this project as part of the 2026 “Faites-nous rêver” call for projects.
 

Congratulations!

FIPATECH
•    Jocelyn Deleuil
•    Mathys Bièche
•    Étienne Jourdan
•    Nicolas Cipriani
•    Martin Schlewitz
•    Matthieu Geörger

Chouquette Team :
•    Hadrien Lecoeuche
•    Thibault Lestienne
•    Alexis Nobilet
•    Manel Kab
•    Linda Maneldo
•    Éléa Cassy

 

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