RoboHacks | Hosted at Y Combinator
The first Robotics Hackathon at the YC office., One weekend to build applications on a general-purpose robot across manipulation, navigation and interaction.
About
Hosted by Innate (YC F24), Iterate, NASA, Deepmind, (and more more) this event brings together 120 builders using 25 MARS robots. This Hackathon is the opportunity to build something hard and get ready for the future. The physical world is about to be unlocked. Prizes include robots, cash, credits, YC interviews and NASA tours. April 11-12 2026 Day 1 (9AM–late): Kickoff, hacking, mentorship Day 2 (until 7PM): Final builds, demos, judging, awards Sponsors NASA - space exploration and scientific discovery pushing the boundaries of human knowledge beyond Earth. Innate - open-source personal AI robots that anyone can teach, customize, and build on - bringing physical AI into the hands of every developer. DeepMind - frontier AI research turning scientific breakthroughs into real-world solutions, from protein folding to reinforcement learning. Scale AI - data infrastructure that powers the most capable AI models, from labeling to evaluation at enterprise scale. Nebius - full-stack AI cloud built for teams that need serious GPU compute without the overhead of hyperscalers. Dryft - agentic AI that replaces the ERP playbook, automating complex operational decisions across manufacturing in real time. ElevenLabs - AI-powered audio platform that turns text into ultra-realistic speech and voice agents for creators, developers, and businesses. UFB - UFB is the sports league for humanoid robots. We merge sport, entertainment, and physical AI into a new kind of spectacle, turning robotics into mainstream culture. Iterate - solving talent allocation by hosting World-class Hackathons. agents for creators, developers, and businesses. Prizes $15k+ in cash, credits, robots and special prizes A visit of the NASA Ames Center Guaranteed YC Interview Attendance 120 hackers exclusive guests & researchers from NASA and robotics companies in the bay In-Person Attendance: All team members must be physically present at the YC Office for the duration of the Hackathon. Remote participation is not permitted. Food and drinks provided throughout the weekend
This hackathon has ended