Details
Welcome to Action Space: an intensive, hands-on weekend dedicated to building with physical AI, computers, and real hardware.
The theme is drone swarm protection. Your team of four gets one drone to program, optimize, and deploy. Mission: get a drone to stop other drones. On the last day, attempt to capture and subdue a drone attacking a base.
The goals: 1. Have fun. 2. Break some stuff. 3. Build something awesome — or at least keep your airspace secure.
This is an 18+ event. Teams should include at least one person familiar with software, hardware, and/or robotics. Participation is limited by hardware capacity. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, with final approvals released by October 28.
We’ll have more than $1,000 in prizes, and all food is included. Grand prize details will be announced later.
Our main goal is not just competition — it’s to bring together and grow the local robotics and physical AI community.
Created by
Hosted in
Boston, MA
Hardware
Each team of four gets one drone. We provide the Isaac Lab setup and compute so you can train, iterate, and deploy without bringing your own stack. Approximate inventory (subject to change):
Drone
One programmable drone per team. Your airframe for swarm protection, intercept, and the final capture mission.
Isaac Lab setup
Sim environment and onboarding so you can train policies before (and during) you fly.
Compute provided
Training and inference compute for the weekend. Bring a laptop; we cover the heavy lifting.
Schedule
Subject to change.
Saturday, Nov 7
Isaac Lab + compute setup
Intro tutorial. Get the sim stack and hardware talking.
Opening ceremony
Lunch and office hours
Form teams. Mentors available for setup.
Hacking begins
Dinner
Hacking ends for the day
Sunday, Nov 8
Doors open
Final mission briefing
Capture and subdue a drone attacking a base.
Lunch
Live intercept window
Teams attempt the capture / subdue mission.
Demos and judging
Judges go table to table.
Final submissions
GitHub, project docs, and a one-minute video.
Awards
That's a wrap
Judges
Judges will be announced soon.
To be announced
Judge
Names and bios drop here when the panel is locked.
To be announced
Judge
Names and bios drop here when the panel is locked.
To be announced
Judge
Names and bios drop here when the panel is locked.
Apply
Registration is on Luma. Approval required — your registration is subject to host approval. 18+ only.
Sponsors
Action Space is looking for partners who want to put hardware, compute, and community on the line. Interested? Open the sponsorship tab and send an offer — it emails jaromero3rd@gmail.com.
Creator
Jaime A. Romero
Creator · MSE Robotics, University of Pennsylvania GRASP Lab
Graduate student at Penn GRASP, pursuing a Master's in Robotics (expected May 2027). ML engineer on WHOOP's Sensor Intelligence team. Previously built autonomous-vehicle fleet systems at General Motors. B.S. Mechanical Engineering with a Robotics minor, Carnegie Mellon University. Work spans deep RL, machine perception, and autonomous drones — including PPO drone racing and Isaac Lab sim-to-real deployment.
FAQ
What is Action Space?
Action Space is Boston's almost first physical AI drone hackathon. The name is the brand. The work is getting a drone to stop other drones, then capturing and subduing an attacker on a base.
Who can apply?
18+. Teams of four. At least one person who knows software, hardware, or robotics. Hardware seats are limited, so applications are reviewed on a rolling basis with final approvals by October 28.
What do we get?
One drone per team, an Isaac Lab setup, and compute. Food is included. Prizes total more than $1,000. Grand prize details will be announced later.
How do I sign up?
Use the Apply section or go straight to luma.com/xl77cp4v. Approval required.
How do I sponsor?
Open the sponsorship page and send an offer. It emails jaromero3rd@gmail.com.
What if I still have questions?
Email jaromero3rd@gmail.com.