The 5th Kibo Robot Programming Challenge: Report on the Results of the Final Round Event

On November 9th, 2024, the final round event for the 5th Kibo Robot Programming Challenge (Kibo-RPC) was held. This time, the 13 teams that won through the preliminary round in each country/region (Table 1) competed to see who could operate NASA's Astrobee drone robot inside the ISS using the programs they had created, aimed to achieve the highest accuracy in image recognition and complete their missions in the shortest time. As a result, the “Astronut” team from Thailand won the competition!
This year's event was held as a hybrid at the JAXA Tsukuba Space Center and online, with four teams taking part in the event at the Tsukuba Space Center.

At the beginning of the event, in addition to greetings from Professor NAKASUKA Shinichi of the University of Tokyo and JAXA Astronaut KANAI Norishige, the event MC, JAXA Associate Senior Administrator MIYAGAWA Yayoi, provided an overview of the event and introduced a video message from Jonathan Barlow (Astrobee Project Manager) of the NASA Ames Research Center (ARC). After an explanation of the game rules by UMEMURA Sayaka of JAXA Manager for ISS/Kibo utilization promotion in the Asia-Pacific region, NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps introduced the ISS Kibo, the venue for the competition, with her remarks, the Final Round Event began. (Figure 2) (Program: Table 2)

Unlike previous competitions, this year's competition focused on image recognition, placing importance on accurately identifying images. Each team had its own strategy, with some using machine learning techniques based on AI and others using pattern matching. After introducing their team, the students observed how the Astrobee, which was running on their program, would move around the Kibo and whether it would be able to complete its mission successfully. (Figure 3)

While some teams were able to successfully complete their missions, others struggled to adapt to the differences between the simulation environment used in the preliminary round and the actual environment inside the ISS. (Results for each team: Table 3)

After all the teams had completed their competitions, the results of the final round were announced. The first-place winner was the Thailand team “Astronut” (Figure 4). The Philippines' “Inflection Point” (Figure 5) secured second, and Bangladesh's “team_mukul” (Figure 6) came third (Table 3). At the awards ceremony, when their team names were announced, the teams shared their joy with their teammates. The winners of first place, “Astronut”, participated in the event at the Tsukuba Space Center, and were presented with a certificate of commendation by Astronaut KANAI in person. The Philippines team, which came second, and the Bangladesh team, which came third, participated online, and their certificate of commendation will be sent to them at later date. (Figure 7).

After the competition, entrants had the opportunity to participate in a facility tour of the Tsukuba Space Center, as well as a workshop where participants could hear lectures from Professor NAKASUKA and other experts, and feedback from developers, and a closing social gathering for on-site participants to connect and exchange ideas or discussion.

Thanks to the cooperation of the space agencies and research institutions of the participating countries/region, and to the students who worked hard to create and submit their programs without giving up, we were able to successfully hold the 5th Kibo-RPC. We hope that the things you learn and experience at this event will be useful to you in the future.

The 6th Kibo-RPC will be held, and applications will be accepted from February 2025. We look forward to seeing you again.