Second Annual Robolympics - International Robot Games - Robots From Around The World Flock To San Francisco

Robots and their builders from around the world come to San Francisco for the second ever ROBOlympics. The largest robot show in the world, this event showcases all disciplines of robotics while offering entertainment to the diverse audience. Robots play soccer, androids run races, combat bots smash apart, art bots entertain, and the engineers show off the future of the world.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) February 8, 2005 -- Facts at a Glance:

Date: Thursday-Sunday, March 24-27, 2005

Time: 10 AM - 11 PM.

Where: San Francisco State University - 1600 Holloway St, San Francisco

Cost: $20/adult, $15/kids 17-7, 6 and under free

Web: http://www.robolympics.net or info@robolympics.net

Images: Print ready photos at http://robolympics.net/pix.shtml

Second annual "ROBOlympics" to overtake San Francisco with thousands of robots from around the planet. The Robotics Society of America (RSA), the "Mister Robotics" TV show, and San Francisco State University (SFSU) are co-sponsoring the event.

ROBOlympics 2004 was a raging success with over 600 engineers coming from 11 countries with 411 robots competing for the gold medals. The upcoming 2005 event expects to draw 500 robots from all continents to compete! Audience members will thrill to the crashing of combat robots, be awed by Robo-One walking androids, amused by the art robots, amazed by the speed of soccer bots, and impressed by the number of kids who can compete on par with the adult builders. Each builder has a compelling story about their home-made creations - dreaming it up, building it, and finally competing against the best in the world.

"This is an exciting time," said RSA President and robotics professor David Calkins. "Robots are becoming more integral parts of our everyday life, and ROBOlympics will showcase the best robots in the world! Most people know the combat robots from TV, but the event also showcases fully autonomous robots that play soccer, solve mazes, walk, run, and put out fires - to name a few."

While robot competitions have a long history in varying parts of the world, ROBOlympics is the only event to bring all robot competitions together at the same place and time. Says Calkins: "Our goal is to educate. But not just to educate non-robot builders about robots; we also want to cross-pollinate. Too often, robot builders over-specialize. At ROBOlympics, they get a chance to meet roboticists from other disciplines. Vision guys hang out with motion engineers. Machinists meet AI experts. They all come away with new insights and end up better engineers. Meanwhile, they've put on a heck of a show for the audience! After all, why should athletes have all the fun?"

This second annual international unified ROBOlympic competition includes:

* Robot Soccer - Cubes, Aibos, and humanoid robots go for the goal using advanced artificial intelligence.

* Robo-One - Bipedal humanoid robots capable of wrestling up to delicate tasks like door opening and one-legged balancing.

* Combat Robots - Made famous by TV, robots fight it out in the ROBOlympics' version of boxing. Always spectacular, always a crowd pleaser, always noisy, and always resulting in robots coming apart...

* Ribbon Climber - Autonomous robots climb thin ribbons using solar power.

* Maze Solving - Robots teach themselves how to get out of maze. Fastest one out wins.

* Exo-Skeleton - Contestants build human-assisted metal exoskeletons that compete in lifting, and carrying contests.

* Fire-Fighting - Robots find fires and put them out - an upcoming home technology.

* Art Bots - A fusion of hard science and artistic beauty - from musical bots to non-functional sculpture.

* Robomagellan - Remember the DARPA Grand Challenge? Autonomous robots find their way across campus!

* Robot Sumo - The major robot sport of Japan, promises thrills aplenty as the automatons knock each other out of a one-meter sumo circle.

* Hexapod Challenge - Watch as six-legged robots scurry across the challenging rink to determine who's the best bug!

* Biped Race - Androids make the 50 yard dash an obsolete sport.

* The Line Slalom - Robots negotiate their path along a curving line.

* Lego Challenge - Kids and adults test their programming skills in timed laps around courses of increasing complexity.

* B.E.A.M. - These tiny analog robots will amaze you as they crawl and evolve before your eyes

* Aibo Performer - Competitors program their Aibos to perform tricks or routines.

* Robot Triathlon - Just like the human version, Robots complete a three-stage race: legs, wheels, and water. This may be the most difficult robot contest ever. Robot Triathlon was invented just for this event!

* Best Of Show - Those bots that don't fit into other classes get their chance to shine here!

Sponsors Needed:

Several of the teams are University-based and still seeking funding to be able to make it to the games. Teams from Japan, Korea, Canada, Germany, Brazil, Israel, Iran, and other nations would like the opportunity to compete, but they need sponsorship help. ROBOlympics and the RSA are still seeking sponsors to help pay their flights, robot shipping, and housing while in San Francisco. Sponsorship opportunities abound and the level of press form last year's event (CNN, USA Today, Wired, Radio Toyota, all four networks, etc.) guarantee a high level of visibility of sponsor logos.

Robotics is becoming the new lifestyle sport of the thinking age. The Renaissance had classical music, we have hi-powered DC motors. ROBOlympics is the channel by which it becomes validated and showcased to widely diverse audience. An audience with both a voice and a higher than average disposable income. The games are still looking for sponsors - companies or groups should contact sponsors2005@robolympics.net if they would like to become an event sponsor and garner publicity, gratitude, and a tax-deductible donation that helps more people gain access to robotics.

Proceeds from the event will help support SFSU and robotics education.

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Do Not Publish the Following:

High quality photos, interviews and videos of the previous events and the participating robots are available upon request.

Interview and Photo Contact:

David Calkins (RSA president)

415-297-2789

dcalkins@robotics-society.org