The Design Challenge gives students from universities and university technical colleges (UTCs) a taste of ‘real world’ engineering, challenging them to design, create, present and run a device to a strict technical specification.
The Challenge enables participants to gain realistic industry experience, practical employability skills and enhanced business and people skills, all within a set time frame. It is intended to complement the academic curriculum and may be used by participants towards their official projects, or alternatively as an extra-curricular activity.
The Challenge is open to teams of 2-6 students from universities or UTCs. Teams in the UK will compete in regional compeitions from March to June, leading to a national final for the regional winners, hosted at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in London, at the start of the following academic year.
Each year students are challenged to undertake a specific project. 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.
We are very pleased to announce that from 2024, students from university technical colleges (UTCs) are now invited to compete in the Foundation Class (formerly known as the First Year Competition) alongside students in the first year of their undergraduate degree.
We are also delighted to announce the Advanced Class (formerly known as the Second Year Competition) is now open to any student wishing to participate, from UTC to the final year of an undergraduate degree. Mixed-year teams from the same educational establishment are welcome.
We will also be adding in a Concept class as well which will be open to all entrants up to the first year of their undergraduate degree.
How do I register my team?
Team registration for Design Challenge 2025 is now open! Register your team here.
Full device specifications will be released in September 2024. Visit the Competition Centre to download the Design Challenge 2025 documents.
Please see the timeline below for further information.
Competition timeline
• September 2024 – Full device specifications released
• November 2024 – Registrations open
• January 2025 – Registrations close
• February 2025 to March 2025 – Curricular teams build their prototypes and compete with other teams in internal university qualifiers. The winners qualify to compete at the regional finals.
Extracurricular teams qualify for the regional final automatically.
• March 2025 to June 2025 – Regional finals currently take place in the following UK regions: GLR, Midlands, North East, North West, Wessex, Yorkshire, Wales & Scotland. N.B. If teams from other regions wish to participate, this is welcomed. The regional winners are invited to compete in the National Final.
• October 2025 – National final takes place and the Grand Champion is awarded.
Want to get involved?
If you are keen to get involved and learn more then please contact us at designchallenge@imeche.org and we will be happy to provide further information.