Two contestants get ready to rumble at the Robot Sumo Wrestling Competition

LOS ANGELES – Challengers will vie for top honors at the 5th annual International Robot Sumo Wrestling Competition, Monday, March 22, 2004 from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the California Science Center. The event, held in the Creative World gallery, is sponsored by Fuji Soft ABC, Inc., a major Japanese software engineering company and features competitors from Japan and the western United States.

It all begins with a customary bow to the opponent and then the match that calls for a complex mix of robotic skills and clever programming, begins. Shoebox-sized robots will operate in two separate categories – autonomous or radio-controlled – in a ring measuring 5 feet in diameter. Autonomous robots are able to sense and make decisions based on the data taken in from the ring, while radio-controlled types respond to directions from their human creators. Unlike the human version of the sport where heavier contestants seem to have the advantage, robot sumo rules limit the weight to no more than 6.6 pounds. The object is to trick or force the opponent out of the ring.

Visitors can watch the competition, cheer for robots with names such as “Beast,” “Squeegee,” or “Go Ahead,” and selected audience members can even test their strength against one of the 6-pound robots during a demonstration of robot capabilities. The International Robot Sumo Competition is one in a series of Technology Showcase events offered by the California Science Center, designed to present current science and technology to the public.

For further information on Fuji Soft ABC, Inc., contact Tetsuya Chiba by e-mail at robotSumo@chibashoten.com, or visit their website at http://www.nwrst.com/IRST/index.html.

The California Science Center is located at 700 State Drive in Exposition Park, Los Angeles. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission to the exhibits is free. IMAX Theater tickets range in price from $4.50 to $7.50. Parking is $6 per car; enter the lot at 39th & Figueroa Street. The Science Center and IMAX Theater are wheelchair accessible. For general recorded information, phone (323) SCIENCE or visit our website at www.californiasciencecenter.org.