Hey, you can't bring a sword to a wrestling match!

Listen Japan, I keep trying to tell you: if you don’t want robots overthrowing your civilization you need to stop breeding them for gladiatorial combat. The 16th Robo-One Championship was held recently in Toyama City, Japan. Started in 2002, this biannual event has a great demonstration competition but its the combat that really gets the fans cheering. Bots wrestle, push, and flip to knock their opponents off balance or out of the ring. Why do we force these mechanical minions into melee matches? Because it’s awesome. Check out the slew of videos after the break. Thanks to Wired Magazine for collecting them in one place.

Much like Kondo Battle, or RoboGames, Robo-One Championship is as much about having fun as it is about winning. As such, many of the competitors don’t really stand a chance in the ring, they’re there to demonstrate new techniques in engineering, or to just show off some really cool designs. This 16th Robo-One event had several noteworthy bots including a Transformer, a Gundam, a xylophone player, and a robot that could shoot a bow and arrow. While these robots won’t change the world, they do demonstrate the creativity and enthusiasm that robotics provides at all levels of amateur and professional skill.
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