Robots duking it out in public is nothing new; shows like Robot Wars and Battle Bots popularized this form of mechanized combat all the way back in the early 2000s. In Japan however, these types of contests tend to follow a different format. Robot brawls are often held within small sumo-wrestling type rings, the challenge being to push your opponent out of the ring rather than beat the bolts out of them. Tech blogger, Robert McGregor, cut together a highlight reel of footage shot over several years of these squirrelly little robots shoving each other around a tiny ring like a pair of feral cats, and my shins hurt just looking at ’em. According to Motherboard, this Robot Sumo competition “highlights mostly autonomous matches, showing off the small, 3Kg-class robots that contain microcontrollers, sensors, and other electronic gadgetry needed to fight to survive inside the ring.” And you thought stepping on Lego hurt.
Watch the full video compilation below:
Videos by VICE
Check out more of Robert McGregor’s video on YouTube.
Related:
A Robot Challenged a Sword Master to a Battle of Blades
Watch a Robotic Arm Keep a Toy Train on an Infinite Loop
These Intimate Photos Will Make You Rethink Your Fear of Robots
