“The Central University of Technology’s Motsamai smart robotic wheelchair secured second place in the 2026 IROS Volting Cup Wheelchair Dance Competition in Pittsburgh, United States, showcasing South African engineering on an international stage. Developed using Internet of Things technology, remote-control functionality and intelligent navigation, the wheelchair demonstrates how robotics can support mobility, independence, creativity and social inclusion.”
Motsamai’s International Success Highlights South Africa’s Growing Potential in Assistive Robotics
South African robotics research has received international recognition after Motsamai, a smart robotic wheelchair developed through the Central University of Technology’s research initiative, secured second place at the 2026 IROS Volting Cup Wheelchair Dance Competition in Pittsburgh, United States. The achievement highlights the potential of locally developed engineering to address practical challenges while improving mobility, independence and inclusion for people living with disabilities.
The university announced the result on 13 October 2026. The competition took place during the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, commonly known as IROS, an international gathering focused on developments in robotics and intelligent systems. Motsamai’s performance demonstrates how robotics can extend beyond traditional industrial applications and contribute to accessibility, creative expression and participation in everyday life.
A South African innovation earns international recognition
Motsamai’s second-place finish represents an important achievement for the Central University of Technology, Free State, and its engineering research community. The project illustrates how university research can translate technical expertise into innovations designed around human needs.
According to the university, the project was led by Professor Markus Elisha, a full professor in the Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering. Morakane Mohanoe, Matsietsi Mohapi, Kesaoleboga Mabuzweni and Jessica Elisha also contributed technical expertise, creativity and collaboration to the wheelchair’s development and international performance.
The achievement is significant because assistive technology addresses challenges that can affect access to education, employment, public spaces and community activities. For wheelchair users, suitable mobility equipment can influence how independently they navigate their surroundings and participate in social life.
Motsamai demonstrates how engineering teams can approach mobility as more than a question of transporting a person from one location to another. By combining intelligent navigation with remote-control functionality, the project explores additional ways technology can support interaction with the environment.
Its competition performance also provides a platform for drawing attention to South African engineering talent. International recognition can help researchers communicate their work, establish professional connections and demonstrate that locally developed technology can contribute to discussions taking place across the global robotics sector.
However, the award should be understood within its specific context. The university reported second place in a wheelchair dance competition, rather than a general ranking of all robotic wheelchair systems or proof that the technology is ready for widespread commercial deployment.
How Motsamai combines robotics and intelligent navigation
The university describes Motsamai as a smart robotic wheelchair incorporating Internet of Things technology, remote-control capabilities and intelligent navigation systems. These features allow it to detect obstacles, map its surroundings and determine its location.
Together, these capabilities illustrate several important principles in modern robotics.
Obstacle detection helps a system identify objects or barriers that could interfere with movement. Depending on its sensors and software, a robotic mobility platform can use environmental information to help determine whether a route is clear or whether movement needs to be adjusted.
Mapping enables a system to build or use a representation of its surroundings. This can help it understand the arrangement of spaces and support decisions about navigating from one position to another.
Location awareness complements mapping by helping the system estimate where it is within an environment. In combination, these capabilities can contribute to more informed navigation than movement based solely on continuous manual steering.
Remote-control functionality adds another dimension. It can provide a means for an operator to direct the wheelchair when required, although the university’s announcement does not specify the full range of operating modes, the control interface or the conditions under which remote operation is intended.
Internet of Things technology can support communication between connected devices and systems. Its exact implementation in Motsamai, including the communication protocols and the data exchanged, has not been detailed in the public announcement.
These distinctions matter because robotics performance depends on the integration of hardware, software, sensors, control systems and the environment in which a machine operates. A system may demonstrate promising navigation capabilities under particular conditions without automatically being suitable for every building, road or public setting.
Nevertheless, Motsamai offers an example of how several engineering disciplines can come together around a clearly defined human-centred objective.
Why assistive robotics matters for people with disabilities
Assistive robotics focuses on technologies that can help people perform activities, navigate environments or interact with their surroundings. Robotic wheelchairs are one area within this broader field.
For people with mobility limitations, independence is influenced by several interconnected factors. These include access to suitable equipment, the accessibility of buildings, the quality of pedestrian infrastructure, the availability of transport and the presence of appropriate support services.
An intelligent wheelchair cannot independently resolve every one of these barriers. However, navigation features may help address particular mobility challenges, depending on their design, reliability and suitability for the user.
The significance of Motsamai therefore extends beyond its competition result. Its development demonstrates the value of exploring technology around practical needs rather than treating technical sophistication as an end in itself.
A successful assistive device should be evaluated according to how well it supports the person using it. Relevant considerations include ease of control, comfort, reliability, manoeuvrability, maintenance requirements and compatibility with everyday environments.
Safety is especially important. A wheelchair operating in a crowded corridor or public building must respond appropriately to changing surroundings. Obstacles may include furniture, pedestrians, uneven surfaces, narrow passages and unexpected obstructions.
For this reason, intelligent navigation should be assessed under realistic conditions. Researchers must understand how the system performs when its surroundings become more complex and how users can intervene if the equipment does not behave as expected.
The university’s announcement establishes that Motsamai incorporates obstacle detection, mapping and location awareness. It does not publish detailed safety-test results, independent clinical assessments or long-term user studies. Those areas would be important considerations when evaluating the technology’s readiness for broader adoption.
The role of wheelchair dance in robotics research
Motsamai participated in a wheelchair dance competition, an application that brings engineering together with movement and creative expression.
Dance presents a distinctive challenge for a robotic mobility system because movement is not limited to reaching a destination. Performance may require coordinated changes in direction, timing, positioning and movement patterns.
A system designed for this context must demonstrate that its movement capabilities can support a planned performance. The precise choreography, control algorithms and technical arrangements used by Motsamai have not been fully described in the university’s announcement, so specific claims about these elements cannot be independently established from that report.
Even so, the competition provides a useful example of how robotics can be evaluated in an application that combines technical function with human participation.
Such applications can also challenge narrow assumptions about assistive technology. Equipment for people with disabilities should not be considered solely in terms of basic physical support. Recreation, social participation, creativity and personal expression are also meaningful dimensions of everyday life.
By participating in an international wheelchair dance competition, the Motsamai team brought attention to these broader possibilities.
The project’s name reinforces that emphasis. According to the university, Motsamai means “to walk”, connecting the innovation with movement and mobility.
Opportunities for South Africa’s robotics sector
South Africa has opportunities to develop robotics research that responds to local industrial, social and infrastructure needs. Projects such as Motsamai demonstrate one possible direction: applying advanced engineering to problems that affect people’s everyday experiences.
Universities can play an important role in this process by bringing together researchers, students, technical facilities and industry partners. They can provide environments where ideas are developed, prototypes are tested and engineering knowledge is shared.
Recognition at international competitions can help increase the visibility of that work. It may also create opportunities for research collaboration, technical exchange and further investigation into the practical applications of a project.
However, an award alone does not guarantee investment, manufacturing capacity or commercial success. Moving from a research prototype to a widely available product generally requires additional work, including testing, design refinement, production planning, support arrangements and an assessment of user needs.
For assistive robotics, affordability and access are particularly important. A technically advanced wheelchair will have limited social impact if its purchase price, maintenance costs or servicing requirements place it beyond the reach of the people who could benefit from it.
Local manufacturing and maintenance capabilities could help address some of these challenges, provided that the necessary components, expertise and production systems are available. Partnerships with healthcare providers, disability organisations, engineers and potential users could also help identify practical requirements that might otherwise be overlooked.
These are potential development pathways rather than confirmed outcomes of the Motsamai project. The university’s announcement does not establish a commercial launch date, production volume, retail price or distribution programme.
The importance of accessible design and user involvement
Developing assistive robotics requires more than creating a machine with advanced sensors. Designers must understand the people who will use the equipment and the environments in which it will operate.
User involvement can help researchers identify problems involving comfort, controls, positioning, manoeuvring and daily maintenance. It can also reveal differences between laboratory performance and real-world use.
For example, a navigation system may function effectively in a controlled environment but face greater challenges in a busy shopping centre or a building with changing layouts. Testing across different settings can help researchers understand these limitations.
Accessibility must also extend beyond the device itself. Ramps, lifts, doorway widths, pedestrian routes and transport facilities can all influence whether a wheelchair user can move independently.
Consequently, assistive robotics should complement wider efforts to make communities more accessible. Technology can help address particular obstacles, but inclusive infrastructure and appropriate services remain important.
Motsamai’s stated capabilities provide a starting point for examining these issues. Further public information about user trials, operating conditions, safety assessments and long-term performance would help establish how the wheelchair might be applied beyond the competition setting.
Skills development and future research
The project also highlights the contribution of collaborative engineering. The university identified several team members who helped bring the wheelchair’s performance to the international stage. Their involvement illustrates the collective work required to develop and demonstrate a complex technical system.
Robotics draws on multiple areas of expertise, including electrical and electronic engineering, computer engineering, software development, sensing, control systems and mechanical design.
Research projects can give students and early-career engineers opportunities to apply theoretical knowledge to practical problems. They can also encourage experimentation, teamwork and structured problem-solving.
For South Africa, developing these capabilities is important not only for assistive devices but also for applications across manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, mining and logistics.
Future research connected with smart mobility could investigate reliability across different environments, improvements in user interfaces, energy efficiency, easier maintenance and more extensive evaluation with wheelchair users.
The value of these directions would depend on evidence gathered through testing and consultation rather than assumptions about what users need.
The public announcement does not confirm which of these activities are planned for Motsamai. They represent areas that could be relevant to further research into smart wheelchair technology.
Conclusion: A meaningful milestone for South African robotics
Motsamai’s second-place finish at the 2026 IROS Volting Cup Wheelchair Dance Competition is a notable achievement for the Central University of Technology and South African engineering research.
The project combines Internet of Things technology, remote-control functionality and intelligent navigation in a wheelchair designed to explore mobility and creative participation. Its international recognition draws attention to the potential of robotics to support accessibility while demonstrating the value of collaborative, human-centred engineering.
At the same time, the competition result is one milestone rather than a complete measure of the technology’s practical impact. Questions about affordability, safety, real-world reliability, user experience and long-term availability remain important when assessing any assistive mobility system.
The next stage for technologies of this kind is to connect promising engineering with carefully evaluated applications and the experiences of the people who may use them.
For South Africa, Motsamai offers an encouraging example of locally developed innovation gaining international attention. Its broader significance will ultimately depend on how research, collaboration and continued development translate that recognition into practical benefits for people with disabilities and the communities around them.
