The Robot Contest returns to Tokyo after 8 years away!

The ABU Asia-Pacific Robot Contest will take place at the Ota Ward Gymnasium in Tokyo on Sunday, August 27. This year’s contest is the 16th in the series proposed by NHK as a unique program project in 2002: a robot-making contest for university students of ABU member countries and regions. Twenty teams selected from 19 countries and regions are expected to participate this year.

This year’s competition is called The Landing Disc and based on the traditional Japanese of tosenkyo in which fans are thrown at a target. Teams will compete in pairs and throw urethane discs made in the manner of fans. They will have to land their discs on seven different spots placed at various different heights. The various ideas for robotic throwing techniques promise to be especially fascinating this time.

Japan will be represented by the Tokyo Institute of Technology and Tokyo University, the winners and runners-up, respectively, of the NHK Students Robocon held in June. Can a Japanese team win back the trophy for the first time in 4 years?

Participating countries are: China, Egypt, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. Live streaming of the contest will be provided with English narration and subtitling in some Asian languages.