A team of first-year engineering students from the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) has claimed first place in the 2026 Siemens Immersive Design Challenge after developing an autonomous robotics system designed to improve efficiency in industrial additive manufacturing.
The eight-member Team 210 Robotics emerged victorious from a field of more than 1,900 participants in the global engineering competition, which challenged students to develop sustainable solutions using immersive engineering technologies that bridge the virtual and physical worlds.
Their winning project, RoboRowdy, is an autonomous robot designed to automate repetitive tasks within mid- to large-scale 3D print farms. The system removes completed printed parts, cleans build plates and restarts print jobs without human intervention, helping manufacturers increase machine utilisation while reducing downtime between production cycles.
The victory highlights the growing importance of automation, robotics and digital engineering skills as manufacturers increasingly adopt advanced production technologies to improve productivity and flexibility.
“This freshmen team has accomplished something incredible,” said Eric Brey, dean of UTSA’s Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design. “The way they have worked together across disciplines, learned new technologies and built a working design surpassed what we imagined for them.
“By offering them the environment, infrastructure and connections, we wanted to support a path for them to move forward independently and successfully. Seeing them grow with this project and inevitably win first place is an inspiration for us and future students.”
The team became the first and only US university to reach the final stage of this year’s Siemens competition after qualifying in April, before presenting RoboRowdy to an executive judging panel during the final round.
As finalists, the students were also invited to attend Siemens’ Realize LIVE 2026 conference in Detroit, where they showcased their work alongside global technology companies and industry leaders.
Team lead Israel Elizondo said the competition had exceeded the group’s expectations.
“When we first started this challenge, none of us knew what to expect,” he said. “We had two main goals: to create something we could learn from and something we were ultimately proud of. Looking back today, I can confidently say we shattered both.
“This experience challenged us to grow as students, teammates and as friends. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who supported us and helped us turn this idea into reality.”
Founded by Elizondo, Team 210 Robotics comprises fellow first-year students Andrew Romo, Darik Pratt, Jiseo Chon, Dyshana Torres Rivera, Vian Chen, Roman Benavides and Gray Samiengo.
Building on their success, the students plan to establish a multidisciplinary robotics organisation at UTSA aimed at encouraging collaboration between engineering disciplines and preparing future students for advanced manufacturing and automation challenges.
The achievement underscores the increasing role universities are playing in developing the next generation of manufacturing talent, particularly in areas such as robotics, immersive engineering and industrial automation, where demand for skilled engineers continues to grow across North America’s manufacturing sector.
