Trident-X 2026

Trident-X 2026 is a maritime robotics challenge co-organised by the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), MINDEF Future Systems and Technology Directorate (FSTD) and the Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF).  

More than 90 teams have registered for Trident-X 2026, comprising students from Secondary Schools, Junior Colleges, Polytechnics and ITE Colleges across Singapore. 

• Buildathon – A two-day programme for participants to acquire the necessary knowledge to design, build and test their Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) robots.  

• Trident-X Challenge Playoffs – Participating teams will be paired up and be competing on two-on-two mission-based challenges. Teams scoring the highest points at the playoffs will proceed to compete in the Trident-X Challenge Finals.  

No prior robotics building and programming experiences are required. The necessary concepts and skills will be covered during the Buildathon.  

For Trident-X 2026, each participating team will be given a robotic kit created by Polymate to build their USV robots. The teams will receive their robotic kits at the Buildathon. For participants who are unable to collect their robotic kits at the Buildathon, they can email the organiser to make separate arrangements for collection.  

The learning resources on software installation, programming guides and challenge instructions will be made available online at https://www.polymate.tech/marlin-robotics.   

Each team must bring at least one laptop that is running on Windows or macOS, and preferably with a mouse.  

The following software will be used during the Buildathon. Participants are encouraged to install the software onto their laptops prior to the Buildathon. The links to the software can also be assessed via the vendor's webpage (https://www.polymate.tech/marlin-robotics). 

• PrusaSlicer (https://www.prusa3d.com/p/prusaslicer/)  

• BambuStudio (https://bambulab.com/en/download/studio/) 

• VSCode (https://code.visualstudio.com/)  

Participants facing challenges in the software installation may seek help from our facilitators at the Buildathon. Of note, MOE-issued laptops may have installation restrictions.  

Participants may consider bringing a jacket or sweater as the workshop venue will be air-conditioned. As part of our efforts to be environmentally-friendly, we encourage all participants to bring their own water bottles. Water dispensers will be available onsite for water refills.  

For safety reasons, participants are to be in long pants/jeans/slacks and covered shoes. It is also strongly encouraged for participants to be in polo/tee-shirts that can clearly identify them with their respective schools or institutions.  

Participants are to make their own transport arrangements to attend the event. Participants are encouraged to take public transport to SUTD as there is limited on-campus parking.  

Halal bento lunches and tea refreshments will be provided on both days. The food choices are catered based on the participants' dietary preferences indicated earlier.  

The Trident-X 2026 Challenge comprises two stages: 

• Playoff Matches: Each team will be assigned to form alliance pairs with another team for each playoff match. Two alliance pairs will compete on two-versus-two (2-vs-2) mission-based challenge for each playoff round. Teams scoring the highest points at the playoffs will proceed to the next stage.  

• Elimination Matches: Each team will compete on one-versus-one (1-vs-1) mission-based challenge for each elimination round. The winning team for each round will advance to eventually compete at the final challenge.  

Participants are to make their own transport arrangements to attend the event.  

Meals will not be provided. Participants are to make their own meal arrangements for the event.