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FIRA HuroCup — the Humanoid Robot Decathlon

HuroCup is FIRA's signature league, and its logic separates it from nearly every other robotics competition: one robot, every event.

In most leagues you build a robot that does one thing superbly. In HuroCup you cannot — the same robot that sprints must also lift weights, clear obstacles and shoot an arrow. It is a decathlon, exactly.

The events

EventPersianWhat it measures
Sprintدو سرعتStable walking speed
MarathonماراتنEndurance, power draw, mechanical durability
Obstacle Runعبور از مانعVision and path planning
Weight Liftingوزنه‌برداریServo torque and stability under load
BasketballبسکتبالAiming accuracy and arm control
Spot Kick / Penaltyضربهٔ پنالتیBall detection and controlled kicking
Archeryتیراندازی با کمانVery high precision and body steadiness
United SoccerفوتبالAutonomous team play
Mini-DRCچالش امداد کوچکCombined mission in difficult terrain
All-Roundمجموع رشته‌هاThe league’s main title

The exact line-up shifts between editions; that year's call is the authority.

Why All-Round is the main title: HuroCup's premise is that a true humanoid must be general-purpose, not a one-move specialist. A robot that sets a sprint record but cannot lift is, by this league's definition, incomplete.

The hardest part: design trade-offs

This is where HuroCup becomes a real engineering lesson. Every design choice improves one event and damages another:

  • A lighter robot sprints faster but fails at weight lifting and destabilises under impact.
  • Stronger servos add power but add mass and current draw, ruining the marathon.
  • Longer legs lengthen the stride but make balance harder.

The winning team solves that equation best — not the one buying the most expensive parts.

Skills required

  • Motion control and balance — the base of every event.
  • Machine vision — obstacles, balls, targets, routes.
  • Mechanical design and servo selection.
  • Power management, especially for the marathon.
  • Team time management, because ten events must be prepared in parallel.

Compared with the RoboCup Humanoid League

RoboCup Humanoid is football only, focused entirely on team play and localisation. HuroCup is broader but shallower — and therefore more accessible to newcomers: start with two or three events and add the rest next year.

Entering from Iran

HuroCup runs at FIRA Cup Iran, which is the route to the world final. For youth teams, starting with the simpler events (sprint and penalty) and adding the rest gradually is the realistic plan.

Frequently asked questions

Must a team enter every event?

For the All-Round title, yes — but teams may enter a subset and place in those. Starting with two or three is common.

Must the robot be humanoid?

Yes. The league is built around bipedal humanoids and the rules constrain body shape and proportions.

Which event is easiest to start with?

Usually sprint and spot kick, needing only stable walking and simple detection. Archery and the marathon are the hardest.

Want to compete in HuroCup?

Novin Zehn competition teams train from zero to the world stage — in Tehran and live online.

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