Kikousai Robot-Pair Race Entries Top 200 — Two University Clubs Join as First-Timers
Entries for Kikousai, the annual Kiko Run (human-and-robot pair race) held in October in Kyobashi, passed 200 teams on the 19th. Registration only opened on the 13th, as previously reported, and the organizing committee said, 'Even accounting for the early pace, this is fast.' Two university robotics clubs are entering for the first time this year, while Tokiwado aims for a fourth consecutive appearance with a team that includes one of its custody robots.
Entries for Kikousai, the annual Kiko Run competition held in Kyobashi every October, passed 200 teams on the morning of the 19th, tracking the previously reported forecast for a record turnout. According to the organizing committee, reaching that mark less than a week after registration opened on the 13th makes this the fastest pace yet for the event, now in its seventh year.
The newcomers, as previously reported, are two university robotics clubs, each planning to enter a student paired with a non-humanoid companion robot. "Within the bounds of the anti-humanoid regulations, we expect to see a range of creatively designed robots at the starting line," the committee said. Tokiwado is aiming for its fourth consecutive appearance with a team that includes one of its custody robots, as previously reported; its proprietor, Tokuzo Tokiwa, commented, "We decide each year based on how the ones in our care are doing. We won't push them this time either."
Entries remain open until the event itself in mid-October. The committee said, "More entries means more work for screening and safety checks, but it's a good kind of trouble to have."
