Kiko Run's 'Kiko Festival,' Day Two: Mixed University Club Team Takes the Lead, Overtaking Tokiwado With a Clean Zero-Assist Run
Kiko Run's October competition, 'Kiko Festival,' held its second day of racing on the 20th at a temporary bay-side course. The mixed university club team, which drew applause on day one for a clean zero-assist run, trimmed its time while keeping that zero-assist record intact, overtaking previously reported day-one leader Tokiwado for the overall lead. With day two combining speed and a clean run, attention at the festival has shifted to whether a team can hold both at once.
Day two of 'Kiko Festival,' October's running of Kiko Run, took place on the afternoon of the 20th at the temporary bay-side course. As previously reported on the 19th, the Tokiwado team led the overall standings after day one at 1:42 with three entries and one assist, while the mixed university club team sat second with four entries, a time of 1:45, and zero assists. On day two, the mixed team — fielding the same four entries — held its zero-assist record while trimming its time to 1:38, overtaking Tokiwado for the overall lead. Organizers said, "Day one's carefulness turned into day two's speed. This run proved that fewer assists isn't a detour — it's a shortcut."
A third-year university student among the team's members said, "We've gotten better at reading the robot's stride habits than we were yesterday, so there were more spots where it could clear things without us having to force a hand in. We kept the zero-assist record while looking for places to pick up speed."
Tokiwado posted a nearly identical time of 1:42 on day two, but could not shake off its one assist, and fell behind the mixed team overall. The human half of the team, which previously reported entering with a borrowed workplace cleaning robot, said, "Our robot normally only cleans, so I actually think this improvement is impressive. More than the ranking, I'm happy we matched yesterday's steady time." A colleague coaching alongside the team added, "I thought they'd be strong under pressure, but holding steady on day two as well is a real gain."
As previously reported, Kiko Run scores are expressed as 'entries, time, assist count,' with the pairing's overall polish weighed alongside raw speed. Three new entries joined on day two, bringing the overall field to seven. Third place went to a first-time port-worker team at 1:50 with two assists; one member said, laughing ruefully, "Getting in step with a robot is harder than it looks." The rest of the field was separated by thin margins, and organizers said, "The fight for the middle of the pack is clearly heating up more than it did on day one."
Each team's modifications, kept within the bounds of the anti-humanoid-likeness regulation, are tailored to the course's obstacles, and organizers said, "How teams get creative within that regulation is part of what makes this event worth watching." The crowd cheered each time the mixed team cleared a raised obstacle, and one parent in the stands said, "We came to see a robot clear something without a single assist." With one more day of competition left this month, organizers said, "We hope people look forward to the lead changing hands again before it's over."
