Hebocon is coming to Bay Area, the US! & Hebocon World Cup in Tokyo

Maker Faire Tokyo & Daily Portal Z presents
Hebocon : The Crappy Robot Competition Bay Area Special Edition

Event Days: May 20th, 2016 ~ May 22nd (no matches on the 20th).
Opening Time: 3 events per day at 13:00, 15:00 and 17:00 on the 21st and 22nd.
Venue: ：Maker Faire Bay Area
Team Number: 8 teams per event
First, please check out our Facebook event! ->HERE!!

It's a build-and-fight style event where people build robots on-site and then let them compete with one another.
We will detail the registration methods on the last half of this announcement! (-> Click here if you want to read it now.)

I'm overexcited and start this article as "Let's do it in the US!", so we are sure some of you are wondering, "Just what exactly is Hebocon anyway?". Allow us to answer your question.

It is an event where people who have never touched a robot, with little to no skill in engineering, come together to try and build what 'may be called" robots, and then make them do battle.
The above video was taken two years ago, during the first Hebocon, and as it went viral around the world, it also inspired many competitions in the spirit of Hebocon in over 20 countries worldwide, spanning not only America but Europe and Asia as well.

The event is already expanding beyond its initial sponsors' expectations, and into the international scene:

And so, even without any input of our own, Hebocon has already spread to the US. It is here that we thought, it is time for us, the original organizers, to jump in and get our slice of the cake! (We say that, but we don't actually wish to compete with anyone. Let's be friends.) For that reason this long-awaited event, organized by HEBOCON JAPAN itself, came to be.

This time, we are co-organizing Hebocon with "Maker Faire Tokyo", which is a Tokyo blanch of "Maker Faire", Maker's festival widely held around the world. And, "Maker Faire Bay Area" which we organize Hebocon Bay Area within this time, is the original of Maker Faire.

I am truly pleasured to be able to host Hebocon at the world largest Maker Faire !
The idea of Hebocon originally came to me after I saw the Maker Faire Tokyo. It gave me the opportunity to think of an event where people bring only failures and poor stuffs instead of well-elaborated works and show each other's clumsiness. Afterwards, the idea changed into the concept of robot competition, but still now there is no mistake that it was borne from the Maker Faire.

Hebocon is an event I started as a joke. I feel happy that the humor born in Japan is being accepted in the America, the country where DIY culture is rooted. I encouraged you to read about the concept of Hebocon on this page -> What's Hebocon. Let's enjoy a low-tech robot battle that uses humor as a weapon instead of technology.

Then, allow us to explain the event again in detail.

Maker Faire Tokyo & Daily Portal Z presents
Hebocon : The Crappy Robot Competition Bay Area Special Edition

Schedule: May 20th, 2016 ~ May 22nd (No matches on May 20th)
Venue: Maker Faire Bay Area
Time: 3 events per day at 13:00, 15:00, 17:00 on the 21th and 22th.
Team Number: 8 teams per event.
Competition Rules: Please go here -> Hebocon Rules.
First, check out our Facebook event! -> HERE!!

Out of the 8 teams for each event, we accept a portion of them through pre-registration. -> Register now on Facebook Event Page!

You will need one of Maker Faire Activity Wristbands (distributed at the venue) to participate.
Also, this time the contestants will be building their robots and do battle on-site, so if you arrive at the last possible moment, it may be difficult for you to complete your robot in time.
Please keep that in mind and try to come early, preferably well in advance.

If you have any junks or machine parts you can bring in, please go ahead! Same goes for other materials as well.
* Moving toys.
* Electronic scraps.
* Any material or handicrafts usable for decoration.
If you have any of those you can bring, please do so, even if you won't participate in the contests.
(The robots are limited to a 50cm by 50cm size. Please refrain from bigger parts than that.)

What's more, what's more, we are also having plans for a Hebocon World Cup 2016 in August.

This event is scheduled to be held at the "Tokyo Culture Culture" Venue in Odaiba, Tokyo, on the night of August 7th.
By the way, that day is the same day as Maker Faire Tokyo. The venues are also just one monorail station apart (about 15 minutes walking), so hop between the two to your heart's content.

We still haven't decided on the details, but we sure are having a lot of big plans on our mind, such as inviting international teams or special guests, so please look forward to it! Please check out the pages below for any information that we may update later.