Kiko Run: October's 'Kiko Festival' Opens, Tokiwado Team Wins Day One
October's running of 'Kiko Festival,' one of two annual Kiko Run competitions pairing a human with a symbiotic robot through an obstacle course, opened on the 19th at a temporary bay-side course. The previously reported Tokiwado team, already drawing attention for racing with a borrowed robot, took first place overall on day one — a bright follow-up to the 18th's Shido Swordplay coverage, two cheerful days in a row.
As previously reported, the Tokiwado team has drawn attention for racing with a "borrowed" cleaning-type robot from its workplace. On day one, the 19th, the pair placed first overall among three teams, clocking 1:42 with one assist. "It's a machine that normally just cleans, but it seems to be good with the course's steps," the human half of the team said. "Ask the robot itself and all you get back is its operating chime, but I think it's having fun."
As previously reported in the sports guide, Kiko Run scores are expressed as "number of teams, time, and number of assists" — an assist being a count of how many times the human had to help the robot over an obstacle, with fewer counting as better. Second place on the 19th went to a mixed university club team, clocking 1:45 among four teams with zero assists, the only team to record a perfect run, drawing applause from the crowd. "It's a sport that shows off the completeness of the pair, not just speed," organizers said. "Zero assists doesn't look flashy, but it's a genuinely fine record."
As previously reported, robot modifications for Kiko Run must stay within the bounds of the "too-humanlike" restriction. Several machines at the 19th's venue had added anti-slip treads or extra step-sensing units, but all kept their non-humanoid appearance. "Applications to make a robot more humanlike were zero again this year," organizers said. "A culture of competing through ingenuity within the restriction has taken root."
As previously reported, Kiko Run is held twice a year, in April and October, and this round drew a record number of entrants, led largely by university club teams. "We first entered half for fun," the Tokiwado team's human half recalled, "but this year the student teams are serious, and there's no room to relax."
The Kiko Festival runs three days through the 21st, with overall standings determined by the combined results. "First place on day one is nice, but the robot has its off days too. Nothing's decided yet," the Tokiwado team said cautiously. With the city abuzz over King Kaie III's visit, previously reported, families also turned out in numbers at the bay-side course, a sign the autumn event has settled into the calendar.
Many families with children were in the stands, and one parent watching for the first time with their child said, "A robot doing its best to clear a step gets a bigger reaction from kids than a race of people alone would. It doesn't talk, but somehow you can still feel how hard it's trying." According to organizers, day-one attendance alone already topped the level of previously reported past events.
As previously reported, the robot law council's debate over "quasi-personhood" continues, but little of that discussion was heard at the 19th's venue. "The people who come here get a lot more excited about whether a robot can clear a step than about the legal questions," the human half of the Tokiwado team said. "I think that's fine." A mood of simply enjoying the ingenuity possible within the "too-humanlike" restriction reportedly filled the whole venue.
