INHA University
Published on 18 June 2026
▲The ‘SEA:ME’ team takes a commemorative photo after winning BFMC 2026. The third and fourth students from the left are Mechanical Engineering students Choi Min-hyuk and Jang Dong-min.
Mechanical Engineering students Choi Min-hyuk and Jang Dong-min of Inha University recently achieved final victory in the ‘Bosch Future Mobility Challenge 2026’ (hereafter BFMC) hosted by Bosch.
Choi Min-hyuk participated in BFMC as the leader of the ‘SEA:ME’ team together with Jang Dong-min. The SEA:ME team consists of students participating in the ‘SEA:ME’ program supported by Volkswagen Group Korea: two students from Inha University, two from Kookmin University, and one from Ajou University.
BFMC is an international autonomous driving competition hosted annually since 2017 by Bosch, the world’s largest multinational engineering company, for undergraduate and graduate students around the world. Students participate in the competition by developing autonomous driving algorithms for a 1/10-scale model vehicle provided by Bosch, and they are evaluated in the final round.
This year’s competition included 78 teams selected through global preliminary rounds. Based on monthly reports and videos submitted over six months, 20 teams advanced to the semifinals. In the semifinals and finals, the final evaluation comprehensively considered previous project performance, technical presentations, vehicle driving performance, and overall completion quality.
The SEA:ME team assumed unstable network and GPS conditions and developed its own self-localization system that does not rely on GPS to solve this issue. By focusing on reducing algorithm computation load and lightweight design, the team achieved more stable driving at higher speeds compared to other teams while successfully completing all missions, ultimately winning first place.
The SEA:ME program is a global educational program jointly conducted by the German Volkswagen Group and the Advanced Fields Innovation Convergence University Project to foster software talents who will lead the future mobility industry. Currently, three students have been selected for the SEA:ME program and are participating in the program in Germany for one year. Since 2023, the Future Automobile Project Group has supported participation in the SEA:ME program by selecting at least two students every year.
In particular, Choi Min-hyuk and Jang Dong-min are participating in the SEA:ME program with support from Volkswagen Group Korea based on their major in Future Automotive Engineering.
Choi Min-hyuk said, “While preparing for the competition for a long time, we thought we had solved every problem, but unexpected issues discovered at the competition site created many difficulties. However, by analyzing and solving problems day and night with teammates from various fields and diverse perspectives, we were able to achieve a great result.”
Jang Dong-min also shared his thoughts on the award, saying, “We were able to win by considering problems from diverse perspectives and solving them together. Based on this experience, I will contribute to the technological growth of the future mobility field.”
Kim Hak-il, head of the Future Automobile Project Group at Inha University said, “I congratulate the students for making good use of the opportunities they were given and achieving such excellent results. Starting with this victory, I hope they will grow into key talents who will lead the future mobility era.”
