Pusan National University’s School of Mechanical Engineering, led by School Chair AHN, Seok-Young, hosted the 2026 PNU International PBL Workshop from August 17 to 21.

About 40 students from four universities, each representing a different country, took part: Pusan National University in Korea, Kyushu Institute of Technology in Japan, National Taipei University of Technology in Taiwan, and CESI in France. Working in 8 multinational teams, the students designed and built autonomous mobile robots and put their technical and teamwork skills to the test in the final competition.

The challenge required the robots to operate without remote human control, using cameras and sensors to identify the location and color of objects. The robots then used grippers mounted on their robotic arms to pick up the objects and place them in their teams’ baskets.

Last year’s edition of the workshop, hosted in Japan, gave students 10 days to complete a comparable task. At this year’s workshop at PNU, teams produced functioning robots and entered the final competition in just five days. The shorter time frame highlights the potential for AI tools to reshape engineering education.

Students from different countries worked together in mixed teams, gaining hands-on problem-solving experience despite differences in language and culture, while engineering provided a shared foundation for collaboration. Beyond the workshop, they explored Busan with PNU students, experiencing K-culture through the city’s food, streets, and seaside.

Photo: An autonomous mobile robot designed and built by a multinational student team at the 2026 PNU International PBL Workshop performs a competition task.