Hebocon

Contest of Low-Tech Robots

The Hebocon is back! Build and design your own low-tech robots and send them into the arena. It is not primarily about strength or speed, but rather about the most creative creations, the most unusual movement style and the funniest motto.

In the Open Lab Laboratory of Confidence of Open Commons you can build and program your own robots on all festival days – previous experience in robotics or coding is not necessary. The idea of sustainability is in the foreground – a wide variety of materials will be used that have been sorted out, are no longer needed and are regarded as scrap by others.

On the last day of the festival, you can pit your creations against each other in fun duels.

According to Japanese tradition, a Hebocon is a wrestling match between amateurish low-tech robots modeled on sumo wrestling. The term Hebocon is derived from the Japanese word “Heboi” – a term that describes something that is technically of low quality, downright inferior or even embarrassing. A Hebocon is consequently a competition in which simple robots meet on the battlefield and engage in strange, funny fights. A Hebocon celebrates “heboiness” – that is, mistakes, and the people behind them. It is about the allure of imperfection, good ideas, playful learning of technical basics, creative design and – above all – fun!

Contest

SU 10.9.2023, 3 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Credits

Ars Electronica create your world (AT) in collaboration with Open Commons Linz (AT)