Robot Sumo Wrestling

by Mike Garvie

NAIT’s Electronic Engineering students showcased their heavy-weight robots on Friday.

Robot sumo wrestling is considered a legitimate sport in Japan, where individuals will construct robots complete with sensors, plows and automated programming to knock out opposing robots.

The idea sparked Richard Rusterholz, an instructor of 20 years at NAIT, to bring the concept to his courses. It’s now an elective course in electronics engineering where students can apply all of their theory and practical learning in their last semester of studies into one project. They’re allowed 40 hours worth of lab time to work on the robots but often spend extra time to put the project together.

“Everybody had a good time,” said Rusterholz. “It allows them to apply their skills. There’s no exams, no assignments, you just build a robot for a sumo wrestling match. There’s a mechanical component, the electronics itself, getting the robot to sense its environment and the programming on top.”

“The wrestling is an accepted competition out there,” Rusterholz continued. “I know if they wanted to continue to compete in the future, they could. The students decide how far they want to go, how complex they want to make the robots, that kind of thing.”

The students have to find the parts, get them to specifications, order them, decide how to interface sensors and controllers and work around the parameters of the task at hand. That allows the students to learn vital project management skills that they can take directly into the workforce.

“You’re using your knowledge, figuring out strategies of how you want your robot to move, you’re researching ideas… if a company wants to hire them and they ask ‘Okay, go out and build this’ well we don’t do it for them,” added Rusterholz. “We provide them with tips, but they have to do most of the legwork and troubleshooting themselves.”

These types of robot projects can lead to very practical applications. In January, a research assistant in the Electronics Engineering program unveiled an upgraded emergency hazard response robot contracted for the Edmonton Police Service. The all-wheel-drive bot’s duties will include hazardous material disposal to potentially handling hostage situations.