Hebocon Robot Competition at NBPL, March 16

At 11 am on Saturday, March 19th, the North Bend Public Library will host a Hebocon competition. Hebocon has been described as “poorly-constructed robot sumo-wrestling.” Hebocon is Japanese in origin, coming from heboi, meaning “poor quality.” Robots that are well-constructed or operated by remote control are not allowed to compete. Robots equipped with devices intended to damage other robots are also disqualified. The competition consists of timed battles between two robots, and the first robot to fall over or leave the playing area loses. Robots must weigh two pounds or less and be twenty inches or less in width or length. There are no restrictions on height. Batteries are allowed. The library will give away a limited number of toy cars to use as a base for a robot, but participants should feel free to use other devices. With Hebocon, ingenuity is encouraged but competence is almost a disqualifier. In keeping with the spirit of the competition, the winner will receive a grand prize of a five-dollar gift card and a trophy made of items found in the back room of the library. A limit of thirty-two robots will be allowed to compete, but all robots present will be admired. Official Hebocon rules and other information will be available on the library website, and copies will be available at the desk.