Griffith University to compete in Robot Sumo competition, Innovation Centre opens

A team of Gold Coast uni students are heading to Japan to demonstrate a robot with an unusual purpose. See what it does.

THESE Griffith University students will travel to Japan next month to compete in an elite international robot-fighting competition.

A group of eight students and researchers have spent six months developing a robot capable of knocking a rival machine, known as a sumobot, out of a miniature sumo ring.

“The battles happen really fast, they can be over in two seconds,” Gold Coast Griffith PhD student Ryoma Ohira said.

“It’s collaboration between engineers and IT to build (the robot) and make it move. We use big motors in ours so it’s very powerful.”

Ryoma Ohira and Tim Braithwaite are ready to take on Japan with their sumo robots. Picture: Luke Marsden.

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The team is among those expected to benefit from the university’s new innovation centre, which is open in the cohort building opposite the Gold Coast campus.

The hub will form the backdrop for workshops by guest speakers, brainstorming sessions and collaborative works between students and members of the public.

“If there’s a place for students to congregate they will, and when they do, they’ll create interesting things. The more things you get happening the more people will come in,” Mr Ohira said.

Griffith University Vice Cancellor Professor Carolyn Evans said the space was purpose-built to be “flexible and adaptable”.

“We’ve been doing these programs spread over different parts of the campus, (but) here we have a single space that looks and feels different to a usual university classroom … and it’s just steps away from where lots of other small business start-ups are.”