AI for Industry Challenge: Win $180,000 by Solving One of Manufacturing’s Hardest Problems

The future of manufacturing depends on smarter, more adaptive robotics—and this is your chance to be part of that transformation. The AI for Industry Challenge, brought to you by Intrinsic in collaboration with Open Robotics, is an open global competition inviting developers, engineers, and roboticists to tackle one of the most complex and high-impact challenges in modern industry. With a $180,000 prize pool at stake, this opportunity is designed for innovators ready to push the boundaries of artificial intelligence, robotics, and real-world deployment.

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About the AI for Industry Challenge

The AI for Industry Challenge focuses on a critical bottleneck in today’s manufacturing processes: electronics assembly, specifically dexterous cable management and connector insertion. Despite major advances in automation, this task is still largely performed manually because of its complexity. Flexible cables behave unpredictably, connectors require extreme precision, and even small errors can disrupt production.

From a robotics perspective, cable insertion is notoriously difficult. It requires advanced perception, fine motor control, and the ability to reason about deformable objects in real time. This makes it an ideal test case for bridging the simulation-to-real (sim-to-real) gap, one of the biggest challenges in robotics today.

Intrinsic and Open Robotics are calling on the global robotics community to develop AI-driven solutions that can learn in simulation and perform reliably in the physical world.

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Who Should Apply?

This challenge is open to:

• Robotics engineers
• AI and machine learning developers
• Research teams and startups
• Students and academic labs
• Industry professionals working individually or as teams

Participants may compete individually or as part of a team, with the option to register team members at a later stage. Whether you are an experienced roboticist or an emerging innovator, this challenge provides a rare opportunity to work on an industry-grade problem using state-of-the-art tools.

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What You’ll Be Working On

Participants will train AI models to solve a robotic cable insertion task, starting entirely in simulation. You are encouraged to use open-source simulators such as:

• Isaac Sim
• MuJoCo
• Gazebo

Communication and system integration will leverage ROS (Robot Operating System), making the challenge both technically rigorous and highly relevant to real-world robotics workflows.

Submitted models will be evaluated in simulation before advancing to later phases, ensuring a fair and standardized assessment process.

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Challenge Phases

The AI for Industry Challenge is structured into three progressive phases:

Phase 1: Train Your Model

During the qualification stage, participants will use their preferred tools, open-source simulators, and the Intrinsic Challenge Toolkit to train an AI model capable of solving the cable insertion task. All submissions will be evaluated using Gazebo, with top-performing solutions advancing to the next phase.

Phase 2: Develop in Flowstate

Teams that qualify will gain access to Intrinsic Flowstate, Intrinsic’s advanced development environment, along with the Intrinsic Vision Model. In this phase, participants will integrate their trained models into a complete robotic cable-handling solution, combining perception, planning, and control.

Phase 3: Run on Real Robots

The final phase is where simulation meets reality. Selected teams will deploy their solutions to a physical robotic workcell hosted at Intrinsic’s headquarters. This real-world validation stage determines the final winners, with the top five teams sharing the $180,000 prize pool.

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Why This Opportunity Matters

Beyond the prize money, the AI for Industry Challenge offers:

• Hands-on experience with real industrial robotics problems
• Exposure to cutting-edge tools and development environments
• Direct interaction with Intrinsic’s robotics ecosystem
• Global visibility for your technical skills and innovation

For researchers, startups, and professionals, this challenge can open doors to collaborations, funding opportunities, and future roles in advanced robotics and manufacturing.

Important Dates

Registration Deadline: April 17, 2026

Early registration is strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time for development and testing.

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How to Register

To participate, applicants must provide basic information including name, email, location, and company or institution website. Participants must also confirm compliance with the AI for Industry Challenge Official Rules, data processing consent, and privacy policies.

Registrants may also opt in to receive:

• Challenge updates
• Company news from Intrinsic
• Invitations to surveys or research studies

All information is handled in accordance with Intrinsic’s privacy policy, and participants may request changes or removal of their data at any time.

Apply and submit your application HERE

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The AI for Industry Challenge is more than a competition—it’s a chance to contribute to the future of intelligent manufacturing. If you’re passionate about robotics, AI, and solving real-world industrial problems, this opportunity puts you at the forefront of innovation.

Register now and be part of the team shaping the next generation of industrial automation.

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