The nation’s most not-so-great will put their mediocrity to the test.

For over a decade now, the least skilled people in Japan have come together in competition and celebration of not really knowing what they’re doing. The event is officially called Robocon for People with Low Technical Skills but is more affectionately known as Hebocon, and its poorly trained combatants craft robots to do battle with. Granted, most barely even qualify as robots but what they lack in mobility they more than make up for in extreme fragility and a nearly complete lack of control, resulting in some edge-of-the-seat showdowns.

Last year’s Hebocon marked the 10th anniversary of absolutely no progress in the field of robotics. The name is based on the Japanese word “heboi” which means something like “wonky” or “dilapidated” and pretty much sums up what you’ll expect to see in this robot sumo competition.

Hebocon Master Daiki Ishikawa believes that it is this essence of heboi that gives half-assed robots intrinsically more charm than those slick ones that do parkour and recommend hairstyles, much in the same way our hearts melt upon seeing a toddler attempt to walk.

The only rules regarding robot design are that it must be poorly made, cannot contain any implements of destruction like power tools, can only have a footprint of 50 square centimeters (7.8 square inches), and must weigh less than 1 kilogram (35 ounces). One could just buy a toy robot at the store and put a shoebox on top of it or draw a happy face with a Sharpie on a brick. However, the rules should be considered when barely coming up with a design.

It follows basic sumo rules in that one robot must knock the other outside of the plywood ring within one minute. If no robot is knocked out or knocked over within that time, the robot that moves the most is declared the winner. This means bricks would be at a disadvantage in such a situation.

If a robot falls apart or completely malfunctions, the match continues as long as it remains upright inside the ring. On the other hand, if a robot sends itself flying outside of the ring without making contact with its opponent, then it is allowed a restart two times.

Last year’s competition saw Conveyor Belt Sushi by the Sato Family take top honors of the Top Hebo Award for its incredible compactness which allowed it to spin out of control with impunity as its much larger opponent lacked the functionality to do anything to it.

Image: YouTube/ デイリーポータルZ編集部

This year Hebocon is scheduled to be held on 29 June at Tokyo Culture Culture in Shibuya. Applications to participate will be accepted from 24 April to 15 May. Competitors will be chosen totally by random and there will be no preliminary matches, meaning not only can you wait until the very last minute to put your robot together, it’s encouraged!

So, what are you waiting for? This is your chance to finally show the world that you have no business designing and building robots. Also, if you happen to be too skilled to participate, spectator tickets have also been set to go on sale on 27 April so you can cheer on your favorite piece of junk from the sidelines.

Event information
Robocon for People with Low Technical Skills: Hebocon / 技術力の低い人限定ロボコン ヘボコン
Tokyo Culture Culture
東京カルチャーカルチャー
Address: Tokyo-to, Shibuya-ku, Shibuya 1-23-16 Cocoti Shibuya 4F
東京都渋谷区渋谷1-23-16 cocoti SHIBUYA 4階
Dates: 29 June, 2025
Application Deadline: 15 May
Website

Source: Hebocon, RoboStart
Images: Hebocon (Unless otherwise noted)
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