Time, distance, and dangerous environments prevent us from being where we’re needed most. Expertise and care often can’t reach critical situations because physical, logistical, and safety barriers stand in the way.

Breakthrough solutions would let people instantly extend their presence, apply their skills, and sense their surroundings from afar—enabling real-time action in disaster zones, remote surgeries, space exploration, and more.

The $10M ANA Avatar XPRIZE challenged teams to create physical, human-operated robotic avatar systems capable of transporting a person’s presence, actions, and senses to a remote location in real time. 

The competition’s vision was to remove the constraints of time and distance, opening new possibilities for global collaboration, rapid emergency response, and exploration of places too dangerous or remote for human access.

In the 2022 live finals, NimbRo won the Grand Prize with a perfect score and the fastest completion time. Their avatar completed ten tasks showcasing real-world presence projection, including locomotion, flipping switches, identifying objects by weight and texture, and using a power drill.

Other finalist teams are already deploying their technology: Touchlab is reducing healthcare-acquired infections in a hospital geriatric ward; 1to1 Robotics is working with NASA on teleoperated lunar robots; and Team UNIST is adapting its system for search and rescue in spaces too cramped or hazardous for humans.

The prize demonstrated that telepresence robotics can bridge vast distances, bringing expertise and aid anywhere it’s needed.

Launched at SXSW in March 2018, the competition culminated with live Finals in November 2022 in Long Beach, California, where NimbRo was announced the winner. Finalist teams continue advancing real-world deployments across healthcare, disaster response, and space.