On Monday, June 19, 2023, the 2nd unofficial Lego® Mindstorms® Sumo Robot World Championship was held on the campus of Mainz University of Applied Sciences. Through the master’s module “Geodata Modeling and Algorithms” taught by Prof. Dr. Pascal Neis, a total of 12 students in the master’s program in Geoinformatics and Surveying were able to demonstrate their creative skills and programming knowledge as the culmination of the course. The atmosphere throughout the event was once again special as the students entered the dohyō (ring) with their self-built LEGO® robots to engage in impressive duels during the basho (tournament).
The sumōtori (sumo wrestlers or sumo robots) bore names such as “Stag Beetle,” “Señorita,” “Johom II,” and “Thomas the Tank Engine.” Each team was provided with a set of nearly 600 LEGO pieces as a base, which meant there were almost no limits to the students’ creativity. This allowed each robot to be customized in ways that went beyond just its name. Beyond the visual design, the focus was much more on tactics and well-thought-out strategies for the matches throughout the tournament. To this end, several different sensors—such as touch, distance, and color sensors—could be used separately and incorporated into the students’ own programming for their robots.
Following a preliminary round and a final round, “Roberta” and “Invalid Sensor Mode” faced off in the 2023 Basho championship match on campus. Ultimately, however, the “Invalid Sensor Mode” team prevailed and secured the 2023 world championship title.
At the end of the day, the focus was not just on the competition, but on the joy of creativity, ingenuity, and the opportunity to combine and apply course content in a different way. In addition to the fun of the game, it was a wonderful blend of science and fun.
Text: Pascal Neis
