This challenge is open to sole innovators, industry, academic and research
organisations of all types and sizes. There is no requirement for security clearances.

Solution providers or direct collaboration from countries listed by the UK government
under trade sanctions and/or arms embargoes are not eligible for HMGCC CoCreation challenges.

Entering and exiting buildings discreetly to conduct reconnaissance missions is a key requirement for national security and defence organisations. Uncrewed vehicles offer a safer, more discreet alternative to deploying human personnel.

However, buildings often contain complex infrastructure that is difficult to access and navigate, especially for robots limited to a single mode of movement. Ground robots often struggle with vertical obstacles, stairs and gaps. Aerial systems can reach elevated areas but may have limited flight time and are easier to detect. Maritime systems work well in water but cannot easily move into buildings or across dry terrain.

Emerging technologies now make it possible to combine multiple mobility methods into a single robotic platform, opening up access routes that were previously unavailable to uncrewed systems.

We want to explore a single, small, robotic system that can move effectively between water, land and air and navigate through confined infrastructure.

This involves significant challenges in:

• Combining multiple modes of movement in one system.
• Miniaturisation.
• Environmental robustness.

This challenge seeks to assess the feasibility of such systems and identify the most promising technical approaches for future development.

Captain Robinson is leading a recon team investigating a large industrial warehouse. The building has limited conventional access routes, multiple floors, machinery platforms and service infrastructure and is protected by sophisticated alarm systems and constant monitoring by personnel.

To gain access, Captain Robinson deploys a compact robotic platform, no bigger than his hand, that can travel through land, air and water. Although highly advanced, it currently needs to be controlled by a person; full autonomous navigation is a future ambition.

The robot is deployed into a drainage outflow leading into the facility. It travels through a section of pipework before moving onto dry ground inside the building, then navigates through confined service spaces and ventilation ducts. When it reaches a vertical obstacle, it switches to flight mode and ascends through an atrium to inspect elevated equipment and infrastructure.

Throughout the mission, the system carries a mission-specific payload, transmitting information back to an operator as it moves through the building.

When its mission ends and its battery is almost depleted, the robot is navigated to a discreet space, such as a ventilation duct, where it is unlikely to be discovered until well after the mission is finished.

The mission is a success: Captain Robinson gathers the data needed to report back to headquarters, without putting any lives at risk.

This challenge seeks proof of concept demonstrations of technologies that could enable a future multi terrain robotic platform.

We are not looking for a fully operational end product. Instead, we want to understand what is technically achievable within a short development cycle, and to identify the key technical barriers to future capability development.

Within this 10 week project, the outcome should reach a minimum Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4 – technology basic validation in a lab environment

Essential requirements:

• Demonstrate a robot operating in at least two mobility domains from: water, land, air.
• Demonstrate mobility in a scenario representative of a built environment.
• Demonstrate the ability to carry a representative payload of at least 100g.
• Provide a final report describing technical performance, limitations, and a roadmap for future development.

Desirable requirements:

• Demonstrate operation across all three mobility domains.
• Demonstrate proof of concept operating for up to one hour.
• Demonstrate autonomous navigation.
• Demonstrate operation with intermittent GNSS availability.
• Operate within confined spaces such as ducts, pipes or service voids.
• Total system volume under 0.01m3.
• Keep total system mass under 1 Kg.

Constraints:

• Human operators must remain responsible for operational decision-making.
• The solution should not depend on continuous access to public cloud services.
• Applicants should clearly identify technical risks and assumptions.

Not required:

• A production-ready platform.
• A focus on a specific payload type.
• Purely theoretical studies with no demonstrator activity.
• Horizon-scanning activities as the sole deliverable.

Clarifying questions or general requests for assistance can be submitted directly to Co-Creation@dstl.gov.uk and cocreation@hmgcc.gov.uk before the deadline with the challenge title as the subject. These clarifying questions may be technical, procedural, or commercial in subject, or anything else where assistance is required. Please note that answered questions will be published to facilitate a fair and open
competition.

You can also contact Innovate UK Business Connect’s Security & Defence or Robotics & AI teams.

• Competition opens: Monday 12 October 2026
• Clarifying questions deadline: Thursday 22 October 2026
• Clarifying questions published: Thursday 29 October 2026
• Competition closes: Thursday 12 November 2026
• Applicants notified: Monday 23 November 2026
• Pitch Day: Monday 7 December 2026
• Pitch Day outcome: Tuesday 8 December 2026
• Commercial onboarding begins: Wednesday 9 December 2026 (the successful solution provider will be expected to have availability for a one-hour onboarding call via MS Teams to begin the onboarding/contractual process)
• Target project kick-off: January 2027