The event, scheduled for September 6 to 8, is also aimed at the general public, promising educational science zones and technology demonstrations for visiting families.
This year, the European Rover Challenge will see nearly 30 teams from a dozen countries compete on a specially designed Martian yard set up on the campus of the AGH University of Kraków.
The yard is "a representation of the largest canyon in the solar system, Valles Marineris, which is located on Mars and is in fact 4,000 km long,” AGH spokeswoman Anna Żmuda said.
“The Mars yard on our premises has an area of almost 900 square metres, which will serve as a challenge arena where rovers from all over the world will compete in a wide variety of tasks”, she added.
In the challenge, the competitors build their own Martian rovers which will have to complete tasks similar to those required of robots working on Martian or lunar surfaces, such as collecting soil samples and overcoming obstacles.
Radio Poland's Michał Owczarek has more.
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