The 45th RoboOne

　It was being held near my house—or rather, right next to the library I always go to—so I decided to check it out. I’m grateful to my wife for making me a sandwich even though this was a last-minute afternoon plan. If I recall correctly, I attended the first event at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, where astronaut Mamoru Mohri served as director. Back then, the contestants’ desks were set up in a row, so they could work on their projects there or chat with visitors—and I actually had the chance to talk with this year’s winner, Mr. Morinaga, quite a bit at that time.

　To be honest, I saw a few familiar faces from back then, and the lineup of organizers on stage and the sponsors hasn’t changed much either. In the first competition, if a robot fell over, it was game over—the winners were a robot that moved in a steady, slow walk and one carrying a long object. Now, however, the competition has shifted to dynamic walking, and robots are able to get back up more quickly. Changing the way robots move with a shuffling gait might be difficult if they rely on servo motors…

　What really caught my attention—as Mr. Morinaga also mentioned in his victory speech—was the event’s broad appeal. In fact, it seemed that several industrial high schools participated, and teams from Taiwan, not just Japan, also took part and put up a good fight. It’s true that the athletic abilities of Chinese-made robots circulating on social media these days feel like a world apart from the days when we used to laugh at the pioneers in the field. However, I can’t imagine high school students being able to handle robots of that caliber. When you think about it that way, this scale is probably just right. In fact, amateur radio has become a business that relies on old-timers with a little spare change…

　Well, while I wouldn’t think of doing it myself, I’m all for them holding a tournament in the neighborhood. Even though their approach is different, seeing people of all ages and genders get involved is inspiring to me, so I honestly feel like cheering them on.