The Robotics Dream Keeper Challenge is a staged, hands-on robotics program built around real hardware and production-style delivery. Participants progress from first boot on D-Robotics RDK X5 to a complete, demo-ready AI / robotics project with ROS 2 integration, accelerated inference, and community visibility.
Each stage has a suggested milestone window, but submissions can roll flexibly across the full program period. Complete all 3 stages by July 15, 2026 to be considered as having finished the full program.
Why join: You gain structured milestones, embedded Online Bootcamp sessions, weekly office hours / Q&A, and direct RDK technical support from the ecosystem team. You improve system design and on-device AI skills, earn titles, badges, and awards, and connect with the global RDK developer community.
| Stage | Name | Focus | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 | Ignite Challenge | Goal: Power On Your AI Robot's Brain. Start from your first contact with RDK X5 and learn to set up the board, activate sensors, and independently run your first on-device AI task. | stages/stage1-ignite.md |
| Stage 2 | Build Challenge | Goal: Design Your Own Intelligent Robot. Advance from “running demos” to defining your robot concept, designing the AI system architecture, and building a complete execution plan. | stages/stage2-build.md |
| Stage 3 | Launch Challenge | Goal: Bring Your Robot to Life. Integrate your full system into a functional, demonstrable, and shareable AI / robotics project with real-time inference and on-device acceleration. | stages/stage3-launch.md |
First, complete the registration stage to officially join the challenge and unlock program support, updates, and benefits:
- Join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/ydVxBpz3vP
- Submit the application form: https://forms.gle/ojG5pRmWXMsM27Vb9
- Install RDK Studio and Register: https://developer.d-robotics.cc/en/rdkstudio
These are the essential onboarding steps for all participants before or during the early challenge window.
-
Free 1‑month Construct ROS Course License
Once you finish all 3 registration steps above, you will receive a 1‑month free learning license for ROS and robotics courses from The Construct Robotics Institute — a top e‑learning platform that provides comprehensive, hands-on ROS training to help you build professional robotics skills. Learn more: https://www.theconstruct.ai/
-
Lucky Draw: D-Robotics Stereo Camera We will randomly select 3 lucky registered participants to win a D-Robotics Stereo Camera as an exclusive community giveaway.
- Create your own GitHub repository for your code, logs, and experiments.
- Complete the challenges for your current stage and collect the required artifacts (screenshots, videos, links).
- Submit a project showcase document to this official repository by opening a Pull Request that adds a file under
projects/.
Step-by-step PR guide: docs/github-pr-guide.md
RDK quick reference (aligned with stage skills): docs/rdk-guide.md
FAQ: docs/faq.md
| Stage | Window | Challenge Goal | Bootcamp / Program Offering |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sign Up | May 14 - June 10, 2026 | Complete registration, join the community, and get ready for the challenge kickoff. | Registration opens on May 14. |
| Stage 1 - Ignite Challenge | June 1 - June 10, 2026 | Go from your first time picking up an RDK X5 to independently running your first on-device AI task. | June 4: Kickoff webinar June 11: Office hour / Q&A |
| Stage 2 - Build Challenge | June 11 - June 25, 2026 | Move from running demos to designing your own intelligent robot system, architecture, and project plan. | June 18: Themed webinar June 25: Office hour / Q&A |
| Stage 3 - Launch Challenge | June 26 - July 15, 2026 | Bring your robot to life with an integrated, demonstrable project and BPU-accelerated real-time AI inference. | July 2: Show-and-tell webinar July 9: Office hour / Q&A |
| Awards / Closing | July 23, 2026 | Celebrate completed projects and share standout work with the broader community. | July 23: Global livestream / closing |
Program note: These dates define the suggested pacing for each stage, but the challenge supports flexible rolling progress. If you complete Stage 1, Stage 2, and Stage 3 by July 15, 2026, you will be recognized as having completed the full program.
To help you get started smoothly, master practical robotics development skills and explore the full potential of RDK X5, we are hosting a weekly online webinar series.
We have invited senior makers and industry experts from the global robotics community to share professional knowledge, hands-on development tips and real-world project experience. Whether you are new to edge AI and robotics or looking to polish your skills, these live sessions will bring you valuable takeaways.
The sessions will take place every Thursday from June 4 to July 9.
Event Base Time: 14:30 GMT, Thursday
- Beijing: 22:30 (GMT+8)
- Tokyo: 23:30 (GMT+9)
- New Delhi: 20:00 (GMT+5:30)
- London (BST): 15:30
- Berlin / Paris (CEST): 16:30
- New York (EDT): 10:30
- Los Angeles (PDT): 07:30
Register for the webinar on Luma now: https://luma.com/sv23befx
- Stage Titles: RDK Explorer → RDK Builder → RDK Creator (see awards.md).
- Special Awards: TOP Voice Award (Communication) and TOP Creator Award (Technical & Impact).
To participate in the challenge, you will need an RDK X5 development board and relevant accessories.
- RDK X5 Purchase Link: RDK X5 Purchase Link
- Optional Accessory List: Accessory List
- GitHub: github.com/Roboparty
- Website: roboparty.com
RoboParty Robotics is a Shanghai-based humanoid robotics startup founded in 2025, pioneering full-stack open-source bipedal robots. Its flagship product, ROBOTO Origin, is a 1.2 m / 30 kg humanoid robot capable of 3 m/s running speed with a proprietary AMP locomotion algorithm. RoboParty is the first team to open-source a complete "0-to-run" humanoid baseline covering hardware design, control stack, training pipeline, and industry know-how, with the goal of reducing embodied AI development costs by 80% and building collaborative robotics infrastructure for the industry.
To help everyone build a solid foundation in robotics development, the Robotics Dream Keeper Challenge has partnered exclusively with The Construct Robotics Institute. As a leading e‑learning platform for ROS and robotics education, it provides learners with a comprehensive curriculum and hands‑on courses to sharpen professional robotics skills.
Learn more: https://www.theconstruct.ai/
Sign up for the challenge now to unlock a FREE 1‑month learning license!
| Channel | Link / Contact |
|---|---|
| Discord | https://discord.gg/ydVxBpz3vP |
| Program contact | developer@d-robotics.cc |
| Reference samples | rdk_model_zoo |
- Showcase documents merged into this repository under
projects/are contributed for official program use (promotion, judging, and archives) under the terms stated in each PR unless otherwise agreed in writing. - Source code in participants’ personal repositories remains owned by the participant (subject to their own licenses).
Robotics-Dream-Keeper-Challenge/
├── README.md
├── awards.md
├── stages/
├── docs/
├── projects/
└── assets/
Welcome aboard — we look forward to your demos.