Every year, about a thousand teams engage in a fierce battle in a robot tournament. In this competition, you won't see chainsaws, torches or electric shocks - in short, nothing that comes to mind when you hear the phrase ""battle of the robots"".
It's not just a battle - it's robot sumo, which is prized for its special qualities: elegance, simplicity and the ability to show intelligence in strategy. The competition takes place on a circular metal ring only 1.5 meters in diameter, with a white line 5 cm wide drawn around its perimeter. A robot that crosses this line is considered the loser. And in this apparent simplicity lies an abyss of possibilities.
Boundary and Enemy Search Sensors
The robot's eyes are infrared sensors. The degree of IR reflection is measured by a light-sensitive element. The white color of the border was not chosen by chance - it reflects more light than the black surface of the ring.
The robot is equipped with several IR sensors responsible for ""finding"" the boundary. The front sensors usually help control the speed of movement - the fighter should not leave the field due to over-zealousness. The rear sensors ""monitor"" the approach to the boundary of the ring: after receiving a response from them, the robot changes the direction of movement.
And by measuring the time it takes to reflect the rays, you can understand the location of your opponent. Many robots (but not all) change their direction with this parameter in mind.
Combat rules
Aside from these advantages, the infrared sensors have a drawback: the field of vision remains narrow, so there are a lot of blind spots, and using them to attack is a basic strategy for highly maneuverable robots.
Some bots can not only lure the enemy, but also hide from their sensors. To do this, they are painted black or added reflective coatings.
Armament
Battle sumo robots are more than just banging. Many of them are equipped with a bulldozer blade with a sharp edge. It allows you to lift your opponent and take him out of the area or even inflict serious damage. True, this tool reduces the fighter's maneuverability.
In human sumo, a fighter's main weapon is his huge mass. Strange as it may seem, the robots' mass also plays a significant role.
Even if the rules say that robot's length (any side) does not exceed 20 cm and its weight should not exceed 3 kg, a robot Sumo wrestler can ""weigh"" dozens of kilos. This ""weight"" is achieved by means of magnets. Yes, the technique can almost ""stick"" to the floor at times, because the base of the ring is a metal surface.
The mind of a machine
When creating robots, whose main tactic is high maneuverability, fewer magnets are used. The main emphasis in this case is on a powerful motor. However, victory in combat rarely depends on iron alone.
The main thing for sumo robots is the strategy written in the form of code. The choice of iron also depends on it. Often robots move so fast that it's hard to keep track of their movements. However, at the heart of the super maneuverable behavior is a strict program logic. Let's look at the principles by which it is created.
The robot Sumo competition is derived from the famous Sumo wrestling, where you have to push your opponent over the edge of a round mat - tatami.
Robosumo competition rules
- The competition is between two autonomous robots. The goal of the contest is to push the opponent's robot out of the ring.
- The duel consists of three rounds and is played until 2 wins by one of the robots.
- The net playing time of the round is 1.5 minutes (90 seconds), except for a special decision of the referee. The game time does not include technical delays and game pauses. At the request of the judge the time of the round can be extended.
- The robot that wins two rounds wins the match. If the match is not won by either robot, both robots count as a draw. The winner/loser of the match may be determined by the judges in a rematch or by a vote of the panel of judges.
- The unconditional loser of a round is the robot that is completely out of the ring.
- During the fight, only competitors, members of the organizing committee and judges are allowed in the competition area (coaches are prohibited).
- After the start of the round and before the announcement of the end of the round it is forbidden to interfere with the robot (remote control or physical touching).
- During the round, a free zone with a width of at least 1 m must be maintained around the ring. A free zone around the ring is necessary so as not to interfere with robots. The presence of competitors in the free zone during the round is punishable by a fine.
Arrangement of robots
- As instructed by the referee, the competitors approach the ring to place the robots in the starting position.
- A game cross in the center of the ring divides the ring into 4 quadrants.
- The robots must always be placed in two opposite quadrants.
- Each robot must be directed in the opposite direction from the opponent, as shown by the arrows on the cross.
- The robots may be placed anywhere inside the quadrant.
- Once the judge has removed the cross, the robots may no longer be moved.
