ROBOBATTLE – development concept for Russky Island
ROBOBATTLE – development concept for Russky Island
Residents turn in recyclable waste and support teams. FEFU students use the collected materials and the university’s engineering facilities to build robots for the tournament. The city gets a new event, and the island becomes an independent destination.
- Brief
- Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU)
- Role
- project leadership, research, interface design
- project leadership
- research
- interface design
- Format
Not an official FEFU project.
Context
Russky Island is part of the city of Vladivostok. Far Eastern Federal University is located on the island and was the client for the project. The island is weakly integrated into the everyday life of the city: if a mainland resident has no connection to FEFU, there are few reasons to go to the island.
That is why we needed to develop a concept that would help make Russky Island an independent destination.
The bridge connecting Vladivostok with Russky Island. Photo: iStock
Research
Research context
The project began with field research in Vladivostok. We needed to understand what opportunities the island had to become a destination for the city.
In addition to observations, we conducted 10 in‑depth interviews. Participants included students, faculty members, parents of schoolchildren, people who had left Vladivostok, and people who had moved there. Participants were aged 18 to 60.
In parallel, we studied practices for developing territories and urban points of attraction.
Research in Vladivostok
We came away from the research with several observations.
The island has a strong educational foundation in FEFU. At the same time, students living on the island lack leisure options. In the interviews, people often spoke about pride in the city – local pride turned out to be an important part of the context. Another layer was Vladivostok’s proximity to Japan, Korea, and China. Finally, there was the environmental problem: a large amount of waste in courtyards and surrounding areas.
Together, these observations set the frame for the future concept.
Yards and urban outskirts of Vladivostok. Photo from the team archive
Geographical location of Vladivostok and Russky Island
Hypothesis
It became clear that the island needed not just a new leisure format on its own, but a scenario that would connect FEFU, local pride, the Asian context, and the waste problem.
The hypothesis was this: if an environmental action is turned into a city event with a clear role for everyone, people will be more willing to get involved.
Product idea
This is how ROBOBATTLE emerged – a tournament where recyclable waste becomes material, a resource, and part of the game mechanic. It is a system where ecology, education, and the local context work together.
At FEFU, participants learn and build robots. Fans choose a team and turn in waste in its favor, helping it earn additional points. Spectators watch the event and vote for the winner. Every city resident gets a role.
Choosing a team
At the center of the mechanic is not abstract care for the environment, but attachment to a team. A person chooses a team to support, and this makes their participation personal.
Collecting waste for a team
Collecting and turning in waste become part of the event. This is a contribution to the team’s result. Points for collected waste can be exchanged for a ticket, or transferred to the team as additional points.
The digital layer of the event
A digital layer appears on top of the physical world, through which people can choose a team, find waste collection points, buy a ticket, read news, and follow the tournament.
A system around ROBOBATTLE
A platform emerges around ROBOBATTLE: education, community, merch, and additional services.
Development and product value
The concept can develop in different directions. A platform with education, community, merch, and city events can emerge around ROBOBATTLE. Robotics and the environmental agenda become part of Russky Island’s image and a new reason to come there.
Brand voice – build a recognizable project language around robots, ecology, and the local context.
Robotics schools – build a community and develop robotics schools based at FEFU.
Tournaments – scale the idea through waste collection and tournaments in other cities.
The project has value on several levels at once.
For the city, it is a new entertainment scenario. For the university, it is a way to involve students in engineering, develop robotics, and build a community. For residents, it is a way to take part in a socially meaningful activity. For the project itself, it creates several monetization streams: tickets, merch, a marketplace, and partner advertising.
As a result, ROBOBATTLE is a concept where waste turns from a problem into a resource for a city event. FEFU becomes the project base, and Russky Island gains a new role – not just as a university campus, but as a destination in its own right for Vladivostok.