Agents & Robotics HackXelerator

The Agents & Robotics HackXelerator™ (AR26) is a multi-week innovation event focused on the future of intelligent systems, including digital agents, multi-agent systems, autonomous robotics, and human-robot interaction. This program combines the high-energy environment of a hackathon with the structured support of an accelerator, providing a platform for participants to learn, iterate, and develop production-oriented prototypes. Organized by KXSB, a UK not-for-profit Community Interest Company, the event brings together builders, collaborators, and academics to shape the future of AI and robotics through hands-on development.

Program Schedule

• Pre-Event Briefing: March 12, 2026 (Virtual kick-off orientation session)
• HackXelerator Kick-Off: March 27, 2026 (In-person event in London at Plexal)
• HackXelerator Duration: March 27 – April 17, 2026 (Includes team formation, ideation, virtual collaboration, development, mentorship, and workshops)
• Project Submission Deadline: April 10, 2026
• Judging Period: April 10 – April 17, 2026
• Finale Showcase and Awards: April 17, 2026 (In-person party in Berlin at PT1)

Program Missions

• Mission One - Digital Agents & Multi-Agent Systems: Focuses on LLM-based assistants, agent orchestration, and collaborative AI for complex problem-solving.
• Mission Two - Autonomous Systems & Embodied AI: Centers on drones, robots, and intelligent systems designed to navigate and act in the real world.
• Mission Three - Human-Robot Interaction & Social Robotics: Explores emotional AI, interface design, and the application of robots in educational, therapeutic, and social contexts.
• Mission Four - Ethics, Agency & Societal Impact: Addresses AI agency, responsibility, governance, and the emerging social contracts with autonomous systems.

Prizes and Benefits

• Prize Pool: £10,000 total, with £2,000 awarded to each of the four winning teams and £500 to each of the four runner-up teams (one winner and one runner-up per track).
• Showcase Opportunity: Winning teams receive an invitation to present their concepts at the AR26 finale in Berlin.
• Non-Cash Prizes: Includes Vultr cloud compute credits, Twelve Labs API credits, and access to Plexal co-working space.
• Additional Benefits: Participants gain access to ongoing mentoring, visibility through the Talent Exchange, and potential travel stipends for selected finalist teams attending the Berlin showcase.

Eligibility and Registration

• Eligible Participants: The program is open globally to university students in fields such as Computer Science, AI, and Robotics, as well as developers, researchers, technical builders, multidisciplinary teams, and independent AI enthusiasts.
• Cost: Participation is completely free.
• Registration: Interested individuals can register via the KXSB platform. Following registration, participants will gain access to the community Discord server.
• Team Formation: Teams are strongly encouraged, though solo participation is permitted. There is no formal limit on team size. Participants can form teams before the event or use dedicated Discord channels for matchmaking during the kick-off.

Technical Requirements

• Required Skills: There is no minimum coding requirement. The program is designed for a wide range of participants, from beginners and non-coders with strong ideas to experienced developers and roboticists. The use of AI-assisted and agentic coding tools is encouraged.
• Required Equipment: Participants will need a laptop and the ability to commit a sustained amount of time over the multi-week duration of the event.

Project Categories and Submission

• Project Categories: Projects must align with one of the four primary missions: Digital Agents & Multi-Agent Systems, Autonomous Systems & Embodied AI, Human-Robot Interaction & Social Robotics, or Ethics, Agency & Societal Impact. Projects may span multiple themes but must be submitted under one primary category for judging.
• Project Focus: Participants are expected to build working, production-oriented prototypes that solve real problems and demonstrate technical execution, originality, and real-world relevance.
• Submission Requirements: Each team must submit a 1-5 minute demo video, a completed project page on the KXSB platform, and optional supporting materials such as GitHub repositories, documentation, or datasets.

Judging and Support

• Judging Panel: Submissions will be evaluated by a panel composed of KXSB core team members, industry partners, and platform/technology sponsors.
• Mentorship and Workshops: Guidance is available from the KXSB delivery team and engineers from partner organizations. Live and recorded sessions will cover topics like agent architectures, robotics, simulation, and deployment.
• Community Support: The program's Discord server serves as the central hub for team formation, technical Q&A, sponsor-led support channels, announcements, and peer feedback. All support is accessible to remote participants.

Logistics and Participation

• Participation Mode: The program supports both in-person and fully remote participation. All major events will be live-streamed to ensure full engagement for online attendees.
• In-Person Events: While not mandatory, in-person attendance is available for the kick-off event in London on March 27 and the showcase finale in Berlin on April 17.
• Event Recordings: All major events are recorded and will be published publicly for those unable to attend live sessions.

Key Speakers

• Zezhi Tang (UCL Robotics and AI)
• Georges Heiter (KXSB Co-Founder)
• Armelle Madeline (Xolve Labs)
• Kevin Cochrane (Vultr)
• Akriti Bhat (Meta)
• Fedor Shabashev (PyTorch)
• Stephanie Prentice (BBC)
• Peter Romov
• Hemesh Prag (NVIDIA)

For complete event details, registration information, and real-time updates, prospective participants are encouraged to visit the official program website at kxsb.org/ar26. Further engagement and community interaction are available through the KXSB Discord server, accessible after registration. A comprehensive program walkthrough will be provided during the Pre-Event Briefing on March 12, 2026, and direct inquiries can be sent to hello@kxsb.org.