A Fine Moment for Korea¡¯s Robot Industry

A Fine Moment for Korea¡¯s Robot Industry

OCTOBER 21, 2005 english.donga.com

Korea¡¯s robot, Taekwon V, went head-to-head with a Japanese robot at The Eighth Japan Robo-One Competition held on September 17 and 18.

Taekwon V was developed by Jeon Yeong-su (36) at a robot-developing venture business called ¡°MiniRobot.¡± Robo-One is a contest where walking robots fight.

EBS¡¯s cultural program, ¡°Robot Power¡± (Fridays, 8:05 p.m.) has come up with a ¡°Japan Robo-One Competition¡± special. It captures the Korean robots that competed in Robo-One on camera just last month. You can catch the special on October 21, 28 and November 4, a total of three episodes.

Japan accounted for 90 percent of the 156 participating teams. Taiwan, U.S., Canada sent teams as well. In the preliminary match, Taekwon V¡¯s trick was writing. Jeon looked serene, as opposed to the Jeon who was worrying, ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can even turn on the switch¡± backstage.

Operated by Jeon, Taekwon V warmed up with a little stretch and started to write. Writing was a new robot trick, ever since the Robo-One competition was established in 2002. Taekwon V was off to a good start as it advanced into the final round. Jeon¡¯s secret for the final match: ¡°Be careful, be stable.¡±

First came a one-on-one match. A swift punch put Taekwon V into the top 16, and a crevice blow put Taekwon V into the final eight. What awaits Taekwon V is the champion of many robot fights, the Japanese Dynamizer. Well into extension time, Taekwon V and Dynamizer were still at it. There is no such thing as a second overtime, at least not in the history of robot contests, until now. But the game ended, unfortunately, in Taekwon V¡¯s defeat.

¡°I was nervous¡¦ I don¡¯t know. Let me calm down,¡± said Jeon. But Jeon was not daunted. There was still the ¡°Rumble¡± match, where two teams of eight robots fight simultaneously. The opponents were all Japanese. After fierce combat, Taekwon V was the winner. ¡°I thought that we should run faster. I¡¯ll keep trying,¡± Jeon reported. It was a fine moment for the Korean robot industry.