Over 150 robots of different kinds took part in the “Robotic Arena” competition, held at Wrocław University of Science and Technology. Supporters of robotic challenges, who turned up in large numbers, cheered on the machines, which raced each other, looked for a maze exit, and took part in sumo wrestling matches

Robot lovers from all over Poland and even Mexico came to present their constructions in fourteen categories.

Robot fights were what particularly attracted the spectators’ attention. The machines competed with each other in five categories - from Nano (25 g), through Micro (100 g) and Mini (500 g), to Mega, where the robots’ weight reached 3 kg. The robots contending in the mega category fought in a ring secured, for the spectators' safety, with sacks filled with sand.

Also very popular was the competition for “line-followers”, whose task was to negotiate a route, outlined with a black line, as fast as possible. This challenge also comprised a few categories, with the most difficult being “LineFollower Enhanced”, where there were various obstacles on the route, including a block which the robots were supposed to bypass, as well as forks and gaps in the line along which the machines travelled.

As for the “Micromouse” challenge, the task was to find a way to the centre of an 8x8 or 16x16 maze, while the “Puck Collect” class machines collected pucks of a specific colour - the robots had to single out, on their own, those they had to gather.

Eleven robots were entered in the “Freestyle” competition, consisting in the presentation of the robotic constructions. Here, the robots were assessed by a special jury. Also, the spectators could vote for the best ideas.

The “Robotic Arena’ tournament has been organised since 2004. Initially, the name was “Open Robotic Mini-sumo Competition”, but then - in 2008 - it changed to the present one. It’s one of the biggest robotic competitions in Poland - last year, the challenge was seen by about 2 thousand spectators.

The season’s last competition

For the members of KoNaR Scientific Circle, Saturday’s competition was one closing the season of robotic tournaments. This year, our young constructors presented their skills at ten national and three international tournaments - in China, Romania, and Estonia. They won a total of 37 gold, 31 silver, and 29 bronze medals, including 2 gold, 2 silver, and 1 bronze medals received abroad.

– The season has been very successful. We have managed to achieve more than we had planned, and it’s not only about the larger number of medals but also about their value. At the very demanding tournament in Beijing, we won a gold medal and a silver one - added Mateusz Michalak.

It’s already known that next year, students of WUST will take their constructions to robotic Olympic Games, to be held in April in the USA.