Felgueiras will host, between April 21 and 24, 2027, the National Robotics Festival (FNR) – RoboCup Portugal Open, one of the main national events dedicated to robotics and artificial intelligence. The public presentation of the initiative will take place on September 16, at 5:30 PM, at the Exhibition Space "Passado, Presente e Futuro" (Past, Present and Future), in Felgueiras.
The Festival results from a partnership between the Professional School of Felgueiras, the Portuguese Robotics Society, the School of Technology and Management of the Technical University of Porto and the Municipality of Felgueiras, with the support of Ciência Viva. The organization expects the event to bring together around 600 participants and more than 12,000 visitors, including national and international teams, serving as a qualification stage for RoboCup.
The program includes two competition categories. The Júnior category features modalities such as First Challenger, RoboCupJunior Search and Rescue, Soccer and OnStage. The Major category will bring together competitions in Humanoids, RoboCup@Home, Dragster, 2D and 3D Simulation, Industrial Robotic Manipulators, FlyBots (drones) and the Micromouse Portuguese Contest.
The event will reinforce the link between robotics and strategic sectors for the local and regional economy, such as footwear, metalworking, textiles, agri-food, health and electronics. One of the differentiating elements will be the integration with FEELTEK – Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Education Showcase, with the expectation of involving up to 40 technology companies and emerging sectors.
