What is the point of sumo robots? Building Sumo robots teaches students and hobbyists the basics of robotics from parts to programming to control logic. It also educates students and hobbyists about how important efficiency of machines and artificial intelligence programs are. Ultimately this helps to contribute to a more intelligent and better moving robot. All this learning is achieved in a "fun" way through what we call Sumo bots.

Below is a video from the MICS Sumo Robot competition in 2007 at Concordia College. The small robot in these videos ultimately won the heavyweight division, despite a close battle with a yellow robot later in the video.

The winning robot used an IFI micro-controller, 4 servos, 2 line sensors, 3 ultrasonic sensors, and 2 infrared sensors. The ultrasonic sensors would emit pings to find the closest object, advance the robot towards it, and use the infrared sensors to detect the width of it. If the infrared sensors detected too much of a difference, the sumo robot reasoned that it was the pole and tried to back up and go around it.

Duration : 0:5:50