Humanoid Robot Combat in Japan

theluckyleper writes "New Scientist reports that the semi-annual Robo-One contest took place last week in Kawasaki, Japan. Humanoid robots (2 arms, 2 legs) battled it out one-on-one and in multi-robot brawls. The goal is to knock opponents over, or off of the combat platform. If a prone robot cannot stand back up in 10 seconds, it is eliminated. PC Watch (Japanese only) has more images and videos of the event."

Comments

Say my name, RoboBitch!

[Chagatai]

I like this video of the authoritative robotic bitchslap, laying the little guy low. Seriously, this is some amazing robotics, even on a small scale. But then again, small robots fighting is always cool ...in Japan!

That is freaking awesome

[Hanna's Goblin Toys]

Reminds you of Voltron, no? Gotta love the Japanese.

Robotic combat has always been about rulesets. Even battle bots had a no-projectiles no-flames no-EMP type ruleset. Otherwise, robotic combat in a small enclosed space would be a contest as to whom could fire their 30-mm recoilless rifle first when the contest started:

Announcer: GO (boom)
Announcer: And it looks like team Alphabot managed to fire first, team Betabot is a gigantic smoking hole in the ground! Exciting!

So, I have to say that limiting robots to a humanoid form and blunt impact weapons is a damned fine ruleset idea. Probably the most important part of this ruleset (besides being enourmously entertaining) is that instead of generating research into the best four wheeled dense flip-arm frisbee robot, it will generate research into highly articulated humaniform robots. Which would be, like, way more cool.

And stuff.

Questions of AI

[Philosinfinity]

The next step is obviously giving the machines a certain amount of autonomous control over their actions. From here, it is a matter of building the ability of the robot to act and react in the proper way. However, this brings us back to the age old question of intelligence. Assume you are able to build a robot that is the best robot fighter around. Does this in any way imply that the robot is an "intelligent fighter?"

My initial thought would be no. The robot must be able to learn from its mistakes in order to have the basis of intelligence. It must be able to modify its programming, understanding, and fighting. But it must do more too. It must be able to take into account anything that it can perceive and attempt to assimilate differences in things like climate, terrain, and obstacles rather than simply act as a block machine for fighting. Eventually, the machine's instructions will be nothing like the original instructions it was programmed with.

This leaves us with the next question. Assume it can do all those things? Is there any reson to believe that it is an "intelligent fighter" rather than a machine doing what it is programmed to? But alas, is there any reason to think that we do more than what we are programmed to?

LOL

[SatanicPuppy]

Darpa proved they can't even find their way across a desert, more less fight it out.

And a "simple" AI wouldn't be able to walk at all. Any robot that walks on two legs has a freaking hefty AI subroutine monitoring a million things we don't ever even consider.

AI still is in the suckitude phase; even the best ones aren't much smarter than a cockroach.