Japan, robots, fights… I don't think anyone is surprised. The only thing we're still waiting for is a certain giant robot duel that keeps getting delayed, but until that happens, we present sumo tournaments with mini-robots that move at an incredible speed. In some cases they're so fast they shoot off the ring without any opponent intervention, and any impact sends parts flying in all directions…
Sumo is Japan's national sport. Its professional competitors are sometimes treated like rock stars; however, life in the sumobeya (training center) can be particularly brutal (a detail that has led to several scandals in the past), and it would be crazy to forget the health problems. Another point of friction is the general prohibition for women to participate in the sport (in fact, they can't even step on the ring), although there are advances in the amateur circle. Not a few have doubts about the future of sumo, but one thing is certain: the experience changes completely when the fighters are robots.
The Rules of Robot Sumo
The rules are exactly the same: remove the rival from the ring. Strength is just one of several available resources. Some designs are black or very shiny, with the goal of confusing the other robot's sensors. They also deploy antennas or small flags, but the most popular solution is placing a shovel at the front. Traction is fundamental inside the ring, and in certain fights we see that they leave marks easily. Now, what amazes us is speed. An average sumo match usually ends in a few seconds, but robots take that to the extreme. Although there's always the robot that gets out of the way to make its opponent go past, they can end up in pieces or wrapped in smoke.
Even so, the most important thing is the passion of those who build the robots. In most cases, we can hear an explosion of joy when a fighter takes the other out of the ring. I hope this robotic variant of sumo never disappears, and why not, that they start using bigger robots. Until Robot Jox, we don't stop. (?)
