RoboGames

We’ll probably never return to a Robogames. The event was ridiculously expensive per day, and the main attraction, robot wars, was terribly organized and maintained. First of all, there was not enough room on the bleachers. Second, people kept walking and standing *in front of* the stadium when there were SIGNS saying not to, and nobody enforced this. There were security guards all over the place, so why did they not tell people to stop blocking the view?
The only redeeming factor for us was a Mythbusters Grant sighting, but that could hardly make up for a poorly organized event.

This is truly the Olympics of robotics! Participants gather once a year from all over the world to collaborate and compete with the best of the best. Events include everything from line following to firefighting to combat — even robots that specialize in making mixed drinks! This is an amazing, family-​friendly event and delivers entertainment and an educational experience. I’m excited about the event’s new location this year in San Mateo — with even easier parking and access from the entire Bay Area. Don’t miss this event!

Okay, let me give you some perspective on this review:
1) The 2008 Robogames were the first that I’ve ever attended.
2) The event was four days long, and I went on the fourth day.
Having said this (who am I, Simon Cowell?), I was utterly displeased
with the experience. I thought it would be a great thing to take my
son to on Father’s Day. Having rented out an entire wing of Fort
Mason Center, and having seen and read all the hype, Robogames instead
came off being more of a junior hobbyist’s convention than a real
event that supposedly boasts a Guinness World record for its size.
First of all, $ 20 for adults and $ 15 for kids. Second of all, parking
at Fort Mason ($ 8-​$ 12). Third of all, the hall was more than half-​empty.
Thinking back, I think there were less than 10 exhibitors. Had they
already all gone home? Robotis had a presence with their new Bioloid
line of robots, which was very cool, but prohibitively expensive, and
there were a few magazines like Servo and Nuts and Bolts with free
sample issues. The battle stadium had been constructed towards
the back of the hall, and was identical to the one seen at the Maker
Faire. So identical, that the bottom 3 rows of bleacher seats provided
no decent view whatsoever of the clashing metal. Great.
All in all, I was severely dissapointed. Now, if any of you went in
the days prior, correct me if you had a better experience, but for
$ 35 I would have gotten a much better value for my money at the Maker
Faire.

Square ring with 3 sides blocked off and one for spectators. Unless you get there at 8am and save one of the 65 bleacher seats, you can’t see jack. It sure sounded cool. Too bad you had to be 9+ feet tall to see whats going on. Parking lot was full so I spent more time driving in circles than uselessly trying to find a seat. Robogames shouldn’t sell more tickets than there are seats. What a waste of money!

RoboGames is the best and here’s why:
1) It’s free for kids to compete. Yay! IMHO, all student competitions should be free!
2) My (fantastic) group of robotics students get to compete AND see adults doing what they are doing – going robo crazy!
3) Pleo (who made a special appearance this year)=super cool
4) It keeps on getting bigger and better year after year.

Fire, destruction, and men acting like boys. What gets better than that?
I came for the Sunday festivities. The final rounds of the combat robots captivated me and my homies. One robot doing everything in its power to destroy the other in an arena surrounded by bullet-​proof glass.
The crowd was surprisingly small (less than 1000, I would guess), considering this event seems to get /​a lot/​of press. I didn’t mind the small crowd, made the warfare seem more.uhh.intimate.
I was worried that this was going to be a all-​talk-​and-​little-​action sort of gathering, but I was wrong. This is a one-​of-​a-​kind san francisco treat. I have no regrets putting 20 smackers down for it.

Visit the worlds’ largest robotic event as reported by the Guiness World book of records. It’s only 2 days June 15 — 17, but you will find robotic engineering experts from all around the globe showing off their brilliant mechanical creations that do anything from decimate other robots, play soccer, make flaming cocktails, educate people about robots or are just plain sexy. Co-​creator of this event has presented
for your visual engineering consumption all year round. If you love gadgets that do things that are created by geniuses (or by people who love to geek out some or a heck of a lot, actually…) then you should check out this event. The huge arena of giant fighting robots, surrounded by thick Lexan plate glass installed for your protection will supply your inner Nascar — WWW — Bloodthirst in a more dignified fashion. The soccer robots and Japanese mini-​transformer robots will make you feel international. Just go, what you will see will make every penny worth it. If you went to Maker’s Faire and went home and took out your tool kit, photographic equiptment and toasters and painting box with excitement, then you NEED to check this out. Trust me.