ROBOTS DREAMS

Robot Calendar Update #2 - Robot Sumo

"roboticsBCN" asked about the schedule for the FSI All Japan Robot Sumo Tournament. This will be the 19th annual competition. According to the official website, it will be held December 23rd at the Kokugikan building in Tokyo - the same location where the major human sumo competitions take place.

The 3 kg robot event includes two classifications - autonomous and R/C, and is an excellent opportunity to see the best robot sumo that Japan has to offer.

iHobby Expo: Robots, Robots, Robots! (Video)

  Left to Right: Futaba RBT-1, RoboPhilo, RoboNova I

Although we weren't personally able to make the trek all the way from Japan to Chicago, thanks to all of our great readers that sent in reports, photos, and videos it feels like we were actually there enjoying all the fun and excitement. The latest contribution was lots of great video footage sent in by Marc Lampcov, the CEO of RoboFactors, LLC.

Marc must have spent countless hours capturing all the participating robots on camera because his footage (see below) includes great performances by the RoboPhilo, Robotis Bioloid, Futaba RBT-1, Robonova I, and much, much more.

2nd Annual All Japan Robot American Football Competition (Video)

Living here in Japan we get to attend a lot of robot, and robot related events. Some of them are fun, others are educational, and a few of them are... well, a little boring. But there is one competition that is always a blast, extremely educational, and never ever boring in the slightest - the All Japan Robot American Football competition.

The robot football event is organized by Fuji Soft (FSI), the same company that developed and sponsors the annual Japanese Robot Sumo competitions. As you might expect, the teams build their robots based, in large part, on the same types of chassis and principles they use for robot sumo. But there are some major differences.

EMMA Just Gets Better and Better (Video)

Our recent visit with Nakano-san, the creator of EMMA-U0A - the small yet fully functional humanoid robot, drew a lot of attention from our readers. People are very interested in EMMA's design, how Nakano-san did the fabrication, availability of the GWS servos that EMMA uses, EMMA's gaits, and quite a few other details.

At this moment, we're not in a position answer all the questions that were submitted, primarily because of other pressing schedule commitments. But, we don't want to ignore our faithful readers, so to tide them over until we can put together a really comprehensive article covering EMMA, we've included some additional video clips below.

All Japan Robot Sumo-Kanto Regional Finals-Favorite Picks (Part 3)

In our earlier coverage of the All Japan Robot Sumo Kanto Regional Finals, we focused first on some of the interesting autonomous robots, and then on the RC class robots, to give you a general feel for the competition, energy, and excitement.

We saved what we feel were some of the best matches for last. The selection is totally our own, and is totally subjective. You'll find a real mixture of autonomous and RC class robots among our picks. In some cases we were fascinated by the technology (we are still nerds at heart), and in other cases it was the strategy or action that caught our attention.

We will give you a couple of hints before you watch the video below. First, "It ain't over till it's over." Second, make sure you're still awake and paying attention when the video gets to the 4:07 mark. You'll be glad you did.

All Japan Robot Sumo - RC- Kanto Regional Finals (Video - Part 2)

In our first video report from the All Japan Robot Sumo Kanto Regional Finals competition (see links below) we covered some of the autonomous robot bouts. For this report we're focusing on the radio controlled class of competitors, and have included quite a few of the matches that took place at the event here in Chiba last Saturday.

One thing that we need to point out - there's a common misconception that "radio controlled" robots are basically similar to RC cars or airplanes. People assume that the operator is doing all the driving and there is no intelligence or decision making power on board the robot. That may have been true years ago when the competition was just starting, but it is certainly not the case today. 

All Japan Robot Sumo - Autonomous - Kanto Regional Finals (Part 1)

As we mentioned a few posts back, last Saturday we had the great pleasure of attending the Kanto Regional Finals for the All Japan Robot Sumo competitions. Since we've already talked a lot about how Robot Sumo is played here in Japan, and interviewed some of the top officials (see links below), we won't repeat all the information here.

Instead we just want to show you some of the video clips we took of the action, and let them speak for themselves.

All Japan Robot Sumo Kanto Regional Finals - Photo Album Online

We had a fantastic time at the All Japan Robot Sumo Kanto Regional Finals yesterday. Lots of great robot sumo action, drama, and we learned a lot more about this fascinating robo-sport. Our Robot Sumo photos have been uploaded, so feel free to browse through them. We should have some detailed reports and videos posted over the next few days. Watch for them- we think you be surprised at how different and exciting it is.

Robot American Football - Japanese Style (Video)

All the international robotics community's attention recently seems to be focused on developing robots capable of playing soccer. That's fine and good, but given the current state of the art the robot soccer competitions seem to lack the enthusiasm, energy, speed, and excitement of a good old fashioned knock-down, drag-out, quarterback and linebacker American Football - a robot game the Japanese have been playing for years, complete with kick-offs, touchdowns, and even cheerleaders!

All Japan Robot Sumo Tournament - Interviews (Part 2) (Video)

In this second part of the All Japan Robot Sumo Tournament interview series we explore some of the technical background behind the sumo robots and the strategies and tactics used by some of the top Japanese competitors. In addition to patiently answering all of our endless questions, the officials provided us with video clips from the 2005 competitions (see video below) that clearly, and dramatically, illustrate many of the topics they touched upon.

All Japan Robot Sumo Tournament - Interviews (Part 1)

We recently had the opportunity to visit the All Japan Robot Sumo Tournament Office and meet with Takeshi Kanai (Secretary General), Masaru Ishikawa (Vice Secretary General - Chief Judges), and Akiko Tsuda (Public Relations Section). They were kind enough to share a lot of the Japanese Robot Sumo history, and gave us some surprising insights into what is actually involved.

Mini-Robot Sumo From Northern Iowa (Video link)

The University of Northern Iowa just staged a really interesting mini-robot sumo competition between robots designed by 10 students in a 15–week Introduction to Robotics course. The competition video (see link below) includes a wealth of information on mini-robot sumo, design strategies and trade-offs, and the student experiences.

Robot Sumo Strategy (Video)

We had the opportunity to interview two of the top officials from the All Japan Robot Sumo organization a few weeks ago. They shared a lot of the history, background, and techniques that go into the robots and the competitions here in Japan. We’ll be posting a series of articles on Robot Sumo based on the interview soon. In the meantime, here’s a short video clip we put together from the February 10 kg. class competition in Yokohama:

Robot Sumo Drama (Video)

We were lucky enough to be able to attend the 17th Japan Robot Sumo Competition for the 10 kg. class last weekend. Like real sumo, some of the matches were over in a fraction of a second with one massive, or skillful robot rapidly pushing its opponent out of the ring. And, just like real sumo, every once in a while there was a match packed full of tension, energy, excitement, and drama.

Robot Sumo - Japan Style (Video)

Last weekend must have been some sort of Japanese national robot holiday - at least that’s what it seemed like here. ASIMO was giving running demos at a major science museum in Tokyo, the LEGO FLL Mindstorms robot group held their national competition (more on that soon), and the 17th Japan National Robot Sumo - 10 kg. Class competition was staged in Yokohama.

Heavy Duty Sumo Robot Action

If you happen to be in the Yokohama area on Sunday afternoon (February 19th), drop by the Pacifico Yokohama convention center and catch some sumo robot action. This particular event, the 17th Japan Nationals for 10 kg (22 lbs) sumo robots, is sure to offer lots of heavy competition and excitement. The doors open at noon, and the contests are scheduled to finish up around 3:00 pm ? though they sometimes finish ahead of schedule. If you happen to notice a tall foreigner, with an obvious obsession with things robotic, taking photos please come up and say hello.

17th Annual All Japan Robot Sumo Competition (Video)

Last Friday, December 23rd, was a national holiday in Japan - the Emperor's Birthday, but instead of going to the Palace to sing "Happy Birthday", robot fans in Japan made the trek to the Sumo hall in Ryogoku just a short train ride away. . .

Let's Get Ready To Rumble - Robot Sumo Style

Not many of our readers will be in Tokyo just before Christmas, but just in case you are here on December 23rd, the 17th Annual All Japan Robot Sumo tournament will be held at the Kokugikan - the place where the real Sumo matches are held.

Battle Raptors!

Mark Tilden and his elves did a wonderful job designing the Roboraptor as a ‘toy’ robot, one that’s a lot of fun, yet safe enough to let your 8 year old play with in the living room.

But come on! This is a RAPTOR! It should be ripping, tearing, and going for the throat! And, recent reports from Roboraptor hackers indicate that will be possible sooner than you think.

FSI-Robot Sumo Videos - All Japan Tournament (Kanto 2005)

Robot Sumo presents several interesting problems for a photographer. The lighting is usually poor, the crowds are large, flash is forbidden, and the action is extremely fast. As a result, short video clips, like those in the video below, are usually the best solution.

Robot Sumo Photos - All Japan Tournament (Kanto 2005)

The official numbers for yesterday’s All Japan Robot Sumo Kanto regional competition included 129 autonomous robots and 156 that used remote controls for a total of 285 entries. For this preliminary event, all the competitors were high school age with 77 teams fielded by high schools in the Kanto area and 208 that were sponsored by other organizations including major companies like Hitachi, Casio, and IBM Japan.

First Videos - 17th All Japan Robot Sumo Tournament - Kanto

There were over 270 entries, 8 sumo rings, hundreds of spectators, and unbelievable action - including one robot that actually caught fire and went up in smoke.

This was just one of the regional competitions building up to the All Japan event that will be held on December 23rd in Tokyo at the Kokugikan- the home of real Japanese Sumo.

This is just the first video out of all the videos and photos taken earlier today.

Robot Sumo Contest at Makuhari - More Details

The link to the English information for this Saturday’s Robot Sumo contest was posted yesterday, but unfortunately there was no time schedule on that website. It was very hard to track down, but we finally managed to find a Japanese webpage that provided more details.

Robot Sumo at Makuhari Messe

Concurrent with the CEATEC show at the Makuhari Messe Convention center, just to the East of Tokyo, the Kanto Regional Finals of the FSI-ALL Japan Robot-Sumo Tournament will be held on Saturday, October 8th. The competition is sponsored by the National Association of Principals of Technical Senior High Schools and FujiSoft ABC Inc. and is scheduled to take place in the Event Hall – no time is shown on the CEATEC website.

CEATEC JAPAN 2005 - Events for October 8th, 2005