American Concrete Institute (ACI) – University of Toronto Chapter
Robotics for Space Exploration (RSX)
Robotics for Space Exploration (RSX) aims to advance student learning in robotics, aerospace, and multidisciplinary engineering through hands-on design projects and international competitions. Founded in 2013, RSX designs robots for Mars-like environments and recently placed 1st in North America and 5th globally at the CanSat Competition 2025. We achieve our goals through collaborative design sessions, manufacturing workshops, outreach initiatives like our annual SEEK Jr. Hackathon, technical seminars, competitions, mentorship, and community-building social events.
Key Accomplishments for 2025-2026
Women in Space Panel was a series of 4 speaker panels on January 24th, 2026, with Courtney Mulligan-MDA Systems Engineer, Maya Fishbach-Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics Assistant Professor, Florencia Rios Nicolas-MDA Vision Systems Lead, and Renee Hlozek-Dunlap Institute Associate Professor of Astrophysics. In addition to the panel discussion, this event held Q&A, networking, and workshop sessions. This series helped connect students with industry professionals and learn more about how to get involved in the space industry.
There are two major international competitions that Robotics for Space Exploration (RSX) attends: the University Rover Challenge and the CanSat Competition. This year, RSX placed 1st in North America and 5th globally at the CanSat Competition 2025, marking our first participation in the competition in over half a decade.
SEEK Jr. was a hackathon targeted for high school students in the Toronto area, affording them the opportunity to collaborate in teams of 5 members to construct a lunar rover to navigate obstacles and complete tasks to find the perfect spot for a new lunar base. The principal objective of this event is to impart foundational principles of robotics within the context of space exploration to the forthcoming generation of scientists and engineers. This was the 5th year of this annual event, which took place on November 29, 2025. 60+ high school students attended. Highlights from the event were compiled in an Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DTl69lyjXpP/?igsh=MWxqaXNodTljenU4NA==
CPSIF Funding Impact
CPSIF funding has a direct and meaningful impact on Robotics for Space Exploration (RSX), allowing us to design and build competitive rover and aerospace systems without passing financial barriers onto students. Support from funding areas allows us to access higher-quality manufacturing materials and capabilities that would otherwise be cost-prohibitive, while also offsetting competition registration costs for our members. This enables broader student participation across disciplines and ensures members can focus on learning, innovation, and outreach rather than funding constraints. We are sincerely grateful to donors and funding bodies that make these hands-on opportunities possible for our team.
Members helping guide high school participants in yearly hackathon, SEEK Jr. Photographer unknown.
Aerial subteam accepting award at 2025 Cansat Competition. Photographer unknown.
Arm subteam members preparing the team Rover at the 2025 University Rover Challenge. Photographer: Trinity Yu.
Students posing with the Mars Desert Research Station sign at the 2025 University Rover Challenge. Photographer unknown.
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