Competitions Archive - IMechE Design Challenge

Design Challenge 2025

The 2025 project brief is to design, build and test a device to simulate an autonomous robotic charging device such as autonomous electric charging connectors for impaired users or industrial vehicles with hot swap battery charging capability, with automatic connection and disconnection.

The competing device should be capable of doing a repeatable task in straight line, on a track laid horizontally. The device can be of any construction and propulsion method, limited only by cost, and size, within the specification detailed in this document and the associated “IMechE Design Challenge – General Specification 2025”. The device can be based on any moving technology with contact with the horizontal surface, such as wheeled, walking, sliding, jumping, rolling.

The device must be totally self-contained and the method of starting it must be attached to, and travel with, the device at all times. Points will be awarded for the accuracy of the device returning to the starting point, the time duration of engagement with the charging connection simulator target and the accuracy of engaging with the charging plug simulated target.

The Challenge is open to teams of 2-6 students from universities or university technical colleges (UTCs).

Test your engineering and teamwork skills in regional heats taking place, with the winners of each regional heat qualifying for the Design Challenge 2025 National Final which will be taking place in October 2025 at One Birdcage Walk in London.

All deliverables must be submitted via the Mashoom website. Team Leaders will automatically receive access to the Mashoom platform a few days after registration. Instructions on how to upload a file can be viewed here.

Past competition results and Design Challenge Flickr:

Team Document Library for Design Challenge 2025:

Design Challenge 2025 Project Specification and Rules

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Design Challenge 2025 General Specification

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2025 Competition Registration

Registration for Design Challenge 2025 is now open!

If you would like to take part please complete our online registration form, or if you would like more information, contact us designchallenge@imeche.org

Enter the challenge

How to run internal university competitions

The Regional Competition will have four sections, the rules for which can be viewed in full in the General Specification:

1. Main Competition.

Design, build and test a device to compete with other teams in the regional competition

2. Poster Competition.

Produce a poster to publicise the teams’ work. The poster is a demonstration of the team’s ability to sell their design solution pictorially

3. Presentation Competition.

Give a short presentation explaining the design and development of their device to demonstrate their verbal & presentation skills

4. Peer Review.

Submit a peer review where all students have the chance to vote for the best engineered solution to the requirement

The three teams with the highest scores in the main competition heats will go forward into the final run-off. The winner of the run off will represent the university at their regional competition.

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Education Learning Materials

Ansys Innovation Courses hosts hundreds of open, free mini courses on physics and engineering topics that will help you get started using Ansys products. Additionally, we have a “Student Team” category that includes courses specifically designed with student teams in mind.

Check out some examples of learning content below:
• Getting Started with Ansys Discovery Learning Track
• Getting Started with Ansys Mechanical Course
• Materials Learning YouTube Playlist