What is it?

What is MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo?

Sumo (相撲): a competitive sport from Japan where two wrestlers attempt to force one another out of a circular ring (dohyo) or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet.

	MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo is a competitive sport where two autonomous LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT robot contestants try to push or flip each other out of a circular ring. The first robot to touch the floor outside of the ring loses. The last robot remaining in the ring wins the round. The robot that wins the most rounds wins the contest. While pushing your opponent out of the ring is the most common way to win a round, disabling your opponent (flipping, lifting, etc.) is strongly encouraged.
	MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo takes place in a circular ring four feet in diameter with a two-inch white border along the ring’s perimeter. The surface of the ring is smooth plywood (painted black) and is about one and one half inches above ground level. The raised platform helps to determine when a robot has “fallen off” (generally determined by the robot touching the ground outside the ring, but left up to the judges discretion).
	The MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo Competition is a building challenge where NXTLOGgers design and submit a MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo robot that can actually compete in a live MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo match. A panel of MINDSTORMS experts builds and battles a select number of finalists to determine a winner.