WRS 2018 in Tokyo was the “warm-up” in preparation for the main WRS 2020 event that will be held in Nagoya. As you may know, 2020 is the year that Japan will be hosting the Summer Olympic Games. If you weren’t already planning to visit Japan, maybe the robots will get you there!<\/p>\n
WRS is divided into two events:<\/p>\n
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- World Robot Expo (WRE)<\/strong> — Exhibitions and presentations from companies, researchers, and government organizations involved in robotics.<\/li>\n
- World Robot Challenge (WRC)<\/strong> — A set of robotics challenges featuring students and companies from all around the world.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
What I found most interesting is that several companies were involved in sponsoring these challenges, which provided the competing teams with cutting-edge robot hardware.<\/p>\n
The WRC categories spanned a wide range of real-world robotics applications. Here is an annotated photo of an interactive wall I spotted at the event.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.mathworks.com\/racing-lounge\/files\/2018\/11\/WRS_2018_Wall-1024x622.jpg\")
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Below is a brief overview of the WRC categories, each with a link to their introduction video.<\/p>\n
Industrial Robotics<\/h2>\n
This category featured the Assembly Challenge<\/strong>. Each team operated in a work cell containing large industrial robot arms. Teams had either 2 or 3 manipulators, and many brands were represented, including FANUC<\/a>, Kawasaki<\/a>, Mitsubishi<\/a>,\u00a0Universal Robots<\/a>, Yamaha<\/a>, and Yaskawa<\/a>.<\/p>\n
The robots collaboratively performed dexterous manipulation tasks. This involved picking small parts such as screws, nuts, and other fasteners, and precisely placing them into task boards, kits, or assemblies. These challenge runs were impressive to watch.<\/p>\n
[Industrial Robotics Category introduction video<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n - World Robot Challenge (WRC)<\/strong> — A set of robotics challenges featuring students and companies from all around the world.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n