FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THE ROBOTICS SOCIETY OF AMERICA ANNOUNCES
FIRST EVER ROBOLYMPICS - INTERNATIONAL ROBOT GAMES
October 21, 2003
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
David Calkins
dcalkins@robotics-society.org
FACTS AT A GLANCE:
Date: Saturday/Sunday, March 20-21, 2004
Time: 10 AM - Midnight.
Where: Ft. Mason, Herbst Pavilion
Cost: $25/adult, $15/kids 17-7, 6 and under free
http://www.robolympics.net or info@robolympics.net
San Francisco - First ever "ROBOlympics" - Robot Olympics - to overtake San Francisco with thousands of robots from around the planet. The Robotics Society of America (RSA) has held biannual Games and Expos for years - drawing thousands of on-lookers for each show. They are now expanding to invite contestants from around the world to help promote robotics, engineering, and education. The event will be at Fort Mason Center Herbst Pavilion, San Francisco, California, in March of 2004
Robot competitions have been around for a long time in many forms, but this is the first time ever that the major competitions will all be under one roof at the same time. The RSA is inviting competitors from overseas to join in the spirit of competition and engineering excellence. After all, why should only athletes have all the fun?
The RSA has been hosting robot competitions since 1977, and David Calkins, current President of the RSA, has been organizing them since 1998. This is the first time that so many builders and their robots from so many places will get to go head-to-head, while meeting and networking with other competitors.
This first ever international unified ROBOlympic competitions will include:
* ROBOT SOCCER - Robotic soccer pros from Asia, Europe, and America are all invited to show their stuff - autonomous robots search for the ball and try to score, just like the real thing!
* COMBAT ROBOTS - Made famous be several different TV shows (such as BattleBots), robots will fight it out in the ROBOlympics' version of boxing. Always spectacular, always a crowd pleaser, always noisy, and always resulting in robots coming apart...
* 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!
* RIBBON CLIMBER - The race to get into space is being viewed in terms other than just rockets, including a "space elevator" which will allow the lifting of satellites into orbit (don't laugh, it's feasible.) This contest is a proof of concept for that technology.
* MAZE SOLVING - Robots teach themselves how to get out of maze. Fastest one out wins.
* ANT WEIGHT COMBAT - one pound robots attack each other in a destructive flurry to determine who's the most lethal.
* ROBOT SUMO - Promises chills, spills, and thrills aplenty as the automatons attempt to knock each other out of a one-meter sumo circle. The major robot sport of Japan, ROBOlympics will see the most international competitors here.
* HEXAPOD CHALLENGE - Watch as six-legged robots scurry across the challenging rink to determine who's the best bug!
* BIPED RACE - With the increasing output of walking robots, this new event challenges competitors to build robots that can walk - over a rough surface - and move faster than their competitors.
* THE LINE SLALOM - Pits robot rivals in a challenging 10-foot curved track they must negotiate on their own, collecting data as they proceed.
* LEGO MINDSTORMS CHALLENGE - Kids and adults both test their skills to complete a lap around courses of increasing complexity in time trials. Anyone with a Lego Mindstorms kit can compete.
* B.E.A.M. ROBOT COMPETITION - BEAM stands for Biology, Electronics, Aesthetics, and Mechanics - These tiny analog robots will amaze you as they crawl and evolve before your eyes - running races and finding their way out of mazes.
* AIBO PERFORMER - Competitors program their Aibos to perform tricks or routines. Get ready to laugh and be stunned by their flexibility and cuteness.
* BEST OF SHOW - Those bots that don't fit into other classes get their chance to shine here!
But there's more! People should not be discouraged if they don't have their own robots as there will be plenty of bots to see and interact with. Robots on display include BattleBots® and RobotWars(tm) builders and their robots (who will be signing autographs), NASA prototype and demonstration robots, including a mock-up of the Mars Rover, interactive and art robots including the works several Bay Area roboticists; QBox mechanical and kinetic arts showcase; famous movie robots; and many home-built robots which will surprise and delight people with their unique abilities and widely-varying designs. The program will also feature robot related slides, videos, lectures, and other great events.
People interested in competing or needing more information on the rules should visit http://www.robolympics.net High Schools and Colleges are strongly encouraged to contact the RSA and build a robot for the competition. Sumo bots, Mindstorms bots, and Aibo performers can all be designed and built within a week or two. Help is available for students and teachers wanted to build robots for this competition - send e-mail to schools@robotics-society.org.
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 an audience both young and old. 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 sponsors@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.
The event will be hosted by David Calkins, president of the Robotics Society of America and robot guest from TV shows on TechTV, Discovery, CBS, and others. Proceeds from the event will help support the RSA's goals of robotics education.
EARLY SHOW TO BE HELD DECEMBER 13TH, 2003:
Catch a sneak preview of ROBOlympics at our December 13th show in Ft. Mason. Not nearly as big as ROBOlympics, it will still be an exciting chance to see many of the games and exhibits:
http://robotics-society.org/games
This exciting event will also include many retailers of robots - such as robotstore.com, RobotCombat, and Evolution Robotics. Vendors will be selling robots throughout the day, so holiday shoppers should remember to bring their checkbooks.
ABOUT THE ROBOTICS SOCIETY OF AMERICA:
The Robotics Society of America is dedicated to the exchange of information about robotics in order to stimulate education in the sciences, create new businesses, and to promote the enjoyment of robotics as a hobby. Meetings feature guest speakers, demonstrations, robot news & video clips and event planning. Weekly builders' workgroups, frequent robot building workshops, and monthly speaker series are also sponsored by the RSA. The Robotics Society of America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with chapters in New York, Sacramento, Oregon, and San Francisco. The San Francisco chapter of the RSA holds meetings the first Saturday of each month at SFSU.
ABOUT DAVID CALKINS:
David Calkins is actively involved in robotics (both building and teaching). He is the president of the Robotics Society of America; a judge for BattleBots, Steel Conflict, Robot Street Fight, and BotBash robotic combat competitions and judges for NASA's FIRST Lego League robotic challenge and BotBall competitions for high-schools; is a robotics mentor for the NASA FIRST team from Galileo High in San Francisco; teaches classes on sumo-robotics to both children and adults; hosts the biannual Robot Games and Expo at Ft. Mason (formerly at the Exploratorium); hosted Rhizome's "Art in a Browser and Other Electronic Oddities"; is a consultant to Sun Corporation's JavaNator robotic development group; a consultant and beta-tester for Evolution Robotics Corporation; star of the upcoming Discovery Channel special "Dungeons of Alcatraz" in which he build a robot to explore the depths of the island; is recurring robot guest-expert on Tech TV's "ScreenSavers" and "Call for Help"; and has been featured in Time magazine, the New York Times, CNN, Salon.com, the radio shows "Tech Success" with Jesse Berst and Brian Mallow's "But Seriously..."; and can't seem to escape robotics no matter how little he tries.
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