RoboGames, Here We Come!
RoboGames is this weekend and there are now at least 10 robots being flown over to California from Japan to participate in this annual robo-full event. Thanks to the efforts of the RoboGame organizers and Robots Dreams, there will be a special stage for Team Robot Japan this year where you'll be able to witness first hand the very latest of the Japanese robot hobbyists' creations.
If you are lucky enough, you may even get to operate the fighting champion robot Real King Kizer, made by the Maru Family.
The leaders of Team Robot Japan are Kazumi Koguma - photo below right - and Kazuko Barisic - left - who work for Mazel Japan, the company that organizes the robot entertainment events called ROBOT JAPAN. The hobbyists that won prizes at past ROBOT JAPAN competitions have been invited to participate in RoboGames.
An interesting fact worth mentioning is that the ROBOT JAPAN events are held at Tsukiji Hongan-ji (photo right), a famous Buddhist temple in Tokyo. The events are nothing religious - it's just that they are held at the "Buddhist Hall" within the temple's premises. Koguma-san, who spent 20 years of his career in event promotion and ticket sales at the industry's leading company, was asked to boost the utilization rate of the auditorium. He came up with the idea of organizing robot events, because he is interested in eventually finding a way to help people with disabilities using robotic technologies. The name of the company he founded - Mazel - comes from the Japanese word "mazeru" (mix). He wants to work on projects that will enable a society where people with all kinds of abilities and disabilities can mingle and cooperate.
He doesn't have a concrete idea on how ROBOT JAPAN can help him reach his goal yet, but he plans to take it step by step. His company has invited Saito Kobo, a company that makes electronic wheel chairs, to participate in RoboGames this year.
GetRobo will be at RoboGames this year to follow Team Robot Japan for an article on ROBOCON Magazine, THE robotics magazine in Japan. Will try to put up lots of photos here too. Hope to see many of you there!