Stone, the Humanoid Robot, Takes Center Stage at FutbotMX

Reporter: Enrique Soto / Photographer: Jorge Aguilar

Created at UPIITA, the robot will be showcased at the FutBotMX Cup on June 25–26 at the Jaime Torres Bodet Cultural Center.

Stone, a humanoid robot whose name was inspired by the anime Dr. Stone—which explores science and survival in a post-apocalyptic world—will be one of the main attractions at the FutBotMX Cup, a robotics competition to be held on June 25 and 26 at the Jaime Torres Bodet Cultural Center. The event will bring together university students from across Mexico, who will showcase their ingenuity through soccer-playing robots from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Raúl Rodríguez Castellanos and Jorge Meza Chávez, graduates of the Mechatronics Engineering program at the Interdisciplinary Professional Unit in Engineering and Advanced Technologies (UPIITA), created Stone, one of the latest generations of humanoid robots developed at IPN. During the competition, the robot will demonstrate its walking and object-recognition capabilities as part of this event organized by Mexico’s Ministry of Science, Humanities, Technology, and Innovation (Secihti).

For the two young engineers from the Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), transforming motors, sensors, cameras, and electronic systems into a fully functioning humanoid robot was a remarkable achievement. Stone was the result of a year of intensive work carried out as their final undergraduate project in Mechatronics Engineering.

“Stone’s body resembles that of a human being and can be divided into joints, where motors were installed to provide movement in the wrists, elbows, knees, neck, legs, and ankles. All of this enables it to perform various tasks such as walking, reaching for objects, and raising its head, among many others. These components are coordinated through a vision system, as well as a controller board that interacts with a processing board,” explained Raúl Rodríguez.

The young engineer recalled that one of the greatest challenges was teaching Stone how to walk.

“The day it took its first steps was incredibly exciting,” he said. “I even hugged my teammate in celebration. It was a major milestone for us. Now we are very happy to know that the idea we started has reached completion and will compete internationally.”

Rodríguez added that Stone has planted a seed for robotics development at IPN, providing future generations of students with a platform they can continue to improve.

“To students interested in robotics projects, I would say: put your fears aside and take on challenges. Even if they seem unattainable at first, achieving them will help you grow both personally and professionally.” Yesenia Eleonor González Navarro, who holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering with a specialization in Integrated Circuit Design and serves as a faculty advisor to UPIITA’s Robotics Association, explained that Stone will soon be enhanced with Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities.

These upgrades are intended to help the robot make history at the 2026 FIRA RoboWorld Cup and Summit in the Kid Size category, an international competition taking place in Canada from July 16 to 21 and bringing together universities from around the world.