Actively cultivating the field of the ‘low-altitude economy’, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) has partnered with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Taiwan Drone Talent Development Association to jointly promote the “2026 UASACT Drones and AI Robot Competition and Carnival.” Marking its sixth edition this year, the event featured a rich and diverse lineup of activities, including drone soccer, obstacle courses, drone fishing, robot sumo, jungle navigation, and AI programming control. The grand event attracted a total of 145 teams from schools ranging from elementary level on through to university. The venue gave the participants an opportunity to demonstrate their exceptional abilities in flight control, spatial reasoning, and teamwork through competition. Notably, drone soccer aligned closely with the trend of Taiwan’s inaugural Presidential Cup event held this year, emerging as a new focal point in tech sports.
NPUST holds a leading position in drone technology education in Taiwan, currently serving as the only university in the country to establish a comprehensive curriculum system covering drone design, manufacturing, maintenance, quality management, flight operation, and communications. The university is dedicated to cultivating professional talent capable of meeting the demands of businesses that are part of the low-altitude economy. Through comprehensive teaching and hands-on practice, NPUST has integrated drone technology into diverse industrial fields including agriculture, forestry, fishery, animal husbandry, disaster relief, logistics, and national defense. This year’s conference was co-hosted by Shih Chien University and the Ministry of Education Talent Cultivation Project Office at NTUST. Professor Hudson Hsu from NPUST’s Smart Mechatronics Bachelor Degree Program served as the Taiwan Regional Chairman of the Technical Committee, highlighting NPUST’s pivotal role in drone technology competition research, development, and innovation.
In addition to the exciting competitions, the event simultaneously hosted the “Low-Altitude Economy Summit,” inviting experts from San Jose State University in the United States and domestic academic experts to deliver in-depth keynote speeches focusing on policy trends, industrial applications, international cooperation, and talent cultivation. By jointing organizing the competition and the forum, NPUST was able to connect international academic resources, technological education institutions, and people involved with industrial development, thereby helping to build the talent cultivation chain and contribute pivotal strength to Taiwan’s low-altitude economy talent development.
