RoboGames Comes To Alameda County Fairground

PLEASANTON, CA — Have you ever wanted to see a robot play basketball? How would you feel if a robot fixed you a drink?

You’ll get to see all that and more at the 16th annual RoboGames, the world’s largest robotics competition, which is taking place at the Alameda County Fairgrounds from Thursday until Sunday. The international competition, presented by Visit Tri-Valley, will showcase more than 500 robots from around the globe competing in more than 40 robot events, including:

• 250-pound robot combat and Sumo wrestling bots
• Humanoid Kung Fu
• Soccer bots
• Football kicker bots
• Hockey bots
• Art bots
• Firefighting bot competitions
• Autonomous explorer bots
• Bartending robots

The robots will do everything from flip their opponents 15 feet into the air, and spin blades sharp enough to easily cut through one-inch steel.

The competition started in 2004 as the ROBOlympics, and today, robot builders from across the globe still compete to win gold, silver, and bronze medals. Founder David Calkins aimed to bring together builders from a variety of fields to help exchange ideas and promote the amazing capabilities of the builders.

The games will take place April 6-9 at Alameda County Fairgrounds, Valley Gate 8. Doors open at 11 a.m., and events start at 12:30 p.m. Tickets cost $45 at the door, and $40 online with the discount code “hardcore” at robogames.net.