Iowa City was the first city in the United States and the third in the world to receive the prestigious UNESCO City of Literature title in 2008. Renowned worldwide for its rich literary heritage, it is also home to the historic University of Iowa. On its campus, a dynamic and dedicated student organization called Robotics at Iowa advances scientific knowledge through hands-on engineering experience. Driven by a shared passion for science and technology, the team design and constructs a prototype Mars Rover inspired by NASA's design. Each year, we compete with our rover in the Canadian International Rover Challenge (CIRC), an esteemed international competition. Since 2014, Robotics at Iowa has upheld a legacy of excellent, passing down its values of innovation, teamwork, and perseverance from one generation to the next. 

We are an interdisciplinary team composed of students from both STEM and Non-STEM disciplines, united by a commitment to education, professional development, and community outreach in the field of robotics.

In 2025, Robotics at Iowa earned a Top 7 ranking out of 26 international teams at CIRC. We are currently preparing for CIRC 2026 and The University Rover Challenge 2026, with the continued objective of designing, programming, and constructing a highly capable Mars Rover prototype - one that performs a wild range of tasks representative of real-world extraterrestrial exploration. 

Our goal is to design, program, and build a prototype Mars rover that will achieve a host of tasks an actual rover would need to complete. We compete with our rover in two international rover challenges: (1) The University Rover Challenge at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah and (2) The Canadian International Rover Challenge in Alberta, Canada.

Our ultimate goal is to earn the championship title - a reflection of our unwavering commitment, dedication, and pursuit of excellence. Beyond the competition, we deeply value the journey itself: growing together, embracing every challenge, and openly sharing our passion for science and engineering with the world, whole-heartedly.