Robo One

).

The robots are usually built with RC Servos as actuators and mounted together with sheet metal shapes. The most common frame material is aluminum. However, there have been entries constructed with steel, plastic, and even wood. Different sensors are used by the robot for balance and to perceive its surroundings. A small onboard micro controller or equivalent is used to control the robots movements and if the robot is autonomous it is also programmed to adjust the robots behavior in response to sensor inputs.

As of October, 2007 there have been thirteen competitions in Japan. ROBO-ONE 13 was held on March 22 and 23, at Korakuen Hall" in Takamatsu [http://www.robo-one.com/news/news.php?newsDate=200802#20080210] . ROBO-ONE 14 is scheduled for October 11th - 12th, 2008. ROBO-ONE 14 will take place in at the Pacifico Yokohama Exhibition Hall.

ROBO-ONE Events

* ROBO-ONE: The primary ROBO-ONE competitions take place twice a year, with the odd numbered competitions scheduled in the Tokyo area and the even numbered competitions staged in more remote locations to increase visibility and encourage participation in the sport.
The first day begins with pre-screening tests that insure the entries are capable of taking a number of steps (10 steps within 10 seconds), and rising from both a supine and prone positions. This is followed by a 2 minute autononmous demonstration judged by a panel of experts - typically the key members of the ROBO-ONE organizing committee. The specific details of the scoring system used have never been publicly disclosed. Only the top scoring entries win the right to return for the second days matches.
The matches held on the second day are roughly based on K-1 boxing events with each robot trying to knock its opponent down, or out of the ring.

* ROBO-ONE J: A 'junior' level ROBO-ONE competition that usually featured smaller robots, and gave special emphasis to family participation. As of ROBO-ONE 11 (March, 2007) the ROBO-ONE J themes were combined into the primary ROBO-ONE competitions and ROBO-ONE J events were no longer staged.

* ROBO-ONE Special: Annual one day competitions featuring a set of 'special' challenges including a timed Dash, a ball toss, climbing a set of stairs, opening a door, and an obstacle course. As of August, 2006 the stair climbing and door opening challenges were combined into the obstacle course portion of the competition.

* ROBO-ONE Grand Prix: Each Winter eight to twelve of the top ROBO-ONE competitors participate in a series of matches held in different locations around Japan over a period of six to eight weeks. Points are awarded according to the win/loss records of each entry during the series.

* ROBO-ONE Technical Conference: An annual one day conference, typically held in Kawasaki, Japan, focused on sharing information and promoting the sport. Presentations include design lectures by the top builders as well as product and technology sessions from key manufacturers.

* ROBO-ONE In The Space: A special project officially announced by the ROBO-ONE committee at ROBO-ONE 9 (March, 2006) to stage ROBO-ONE competitions in low earth orbit by October, 2010.

* ROBO-ONE Soccer: A ROBO-ONE Soccer match was staged as a preliminary demonstration at the August, 2006 ROBO-ONE Special competition, and also during the September, 2006 ROBO-ONE 10 event in Nagai in Japan. The ROBO-ONE committee has scheduled the first official ROBO-ONE Soccer competition for August, 2007 at the Panasonic Center facility in Tokyo.

pecifications

Early ROBO-ONE specifications were deliberately minimal to encourage as much participation as possible. As the robots' performance has improved, the specifications have been tightened to keep the focus on 'humanoid robotics'. For example, the foot/sole size in relation to the robots overall size has been incrementally decreased for recent competitions.

With ROBO-ONE 11 (March, 2007), the concept of weight classifications was introduced.

Rules

Competition rules vary based on the specific event, and have evolved over time as the robots ability has improved. The ROBO-ONE committee publishes the official rules in Japanese for each competition roughly two months in advance.

ROBO-ONE type competitions in other countries typically follow the same general format and rules, but with modifications appropriate for the participants skill and ability levels.

Robo-One Kits

Competition level ROBO-ONE entries are typically custom designs, but have often been based in part on commercially available kits.
* Bioloid by Robotis
* KHR-1 and KHR-2 by Kondo Kagaku
* Robonova-1 by Hitec
* Manoi AT01 and Manoi PF01 by Kyosho

External links

* [http://www.robotfightvideos.com/ Biggest collection of Robot Fight Videos]
* [http://www.robo-one.com Official ROBO-ONE Japanese page (In Japanese)] "( [http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.robo-one.com%2F Translated into english with google] )"
* [http://www.robo-one.or.kr/english/ Official ROBO-ONE Korea page (In english)]
* [http://www.robots-dreams.com/files/robo_one_rules_and_regulations_revised.pdf Unofficial ROBO-ONE rules (Translated by Duncan Lowne)] - covers the ROBO-ONE rules as of September, 2006
* [http://www.robosavvy.com RoboSavvy ROBO-ONE Community (English)]
* [http://www.robots-dreams.com Robots Dreams robotics blog from Japan that features ROBO-ONE reports and videos (English)]
* [http://www.robogames.net RoboGames US competition held annually in San Francisco with some ROBO-ONE type events]