SUMO RoboCup comp
Term 4 Wednesday 12th November 2025
Always remember: “It’s not about whether you win or lose, but about how much you learn along the way.”
Embedded Files
Welcome to NSW RoboCup SUMO!
NSW RoboCup SUMO is a competitive sport where two autonomous robots go head-to-head in a competition to try to push or flip the other robot out of a circular ring. The first sumo-bot to exit the ring loses that round. The last sumo-bot remaining in the ring wins the round. The sumo-bot 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 and lifting) is strongly encouraged.
At NSW RoboCup, we believe the real victory comes from learning, exploring, and having fun. This very first SUMO competition in NSW is all about that spirit! Together—students, mentors, referees, and volunteers—we’re creating an event that’s fair, exciting, and full of positive energy.
Sumo bots starting - 1.movRobots starting back to back and moving to the outside of the circle.
Divisions, Teams and Prizes
● Teams must consist of two to four students.
● Teams will compete in either the Primary Division or the Secondary Division.
● Medals will be awarded to the teams achieving 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in each division.
● A Certificate of Innovation may be awarded to a team whose sumo-bot demonstrates outstanding creativity or design, regardless of placing.
● No trophies will be awarded for this competition.
Costs: An entry fee of $50 per team will be payable in advance.
See official SUMO rules below...
Playing Field
The Sumo Battle Arena is a one meter diameter circle on a white background. The arena features a 15-20mm black outline border. This design was chosen as it is easy to make on any white surface using black tape.
The mats used at the competition will be made on white vinyl with a black 15-20mm border.
Robot Construction
● Robots must be LEGO robots only - EV3 or Spike Prime , NXT and Robot Inventor and should be powered by a LEGO robotics platform.
● Robots are allowed a total of 3 motors and have no more than 2 of these motors powering their drivetrain.
● Multiple sensors can be used however, sumo-bots are limited to a single control source (Spike Hub or EV3 Hub).
● Student designed 3D parts are permitted however they must be fastened to the sumo-bot by LEGO pieces and be original designs (students cannot just download and print existing parts).
● No glue, tape or non-LEGO rubber bands are allowed.
● 4-wheel drive systems and tracks are not permitted.
● sumo-bots must be constructed and programmed primarily by the students in the team. The overall design, assembly, and coding must reflect the team’s own work.
● A sumo-bot must have a handle for referees to pick them up easily. The handle is not included in height measurements.
● Each sumo-bot should have a recognisable tag to link it to that team.
Size and Weight
● The robot must be able to fit within a 21cm x 25cm rectangular frame (including all capturing, lifting
mechanisms at their full extension). There are no height restrictions for sumo-bots.
● The sumo-bot must be 900g or less in weight.
● Sumo-bots will be measured and weighed prior to the competition to ensure compliance.
Autonomy
● Sumo-bots must operate fully autonomously once started and cannot be started from a secondary device, such as a laptop or iPad.
● No remote controls, external power supplies, or human intervention are allowed during a match.
● Sumo-bots must have a 3 second wait coded to begin when the program starts.
Matches will be conducted under the following rules:
● Each match will consist of a best-of-three rounds, with a total time limit of five minutes.
● Once the time limit is reached, the current standing result will be final.
● Scoring: A win earns 3 points. A draw earns 1 point for each team.
● A Sumo-bot that wins 2 out of 3 rounds is the winner, and will advance. If no sumo-bot has won after 5 minutes the round is considered a draw. Judges may decide to do rounds over if there is a draw.
● Games will be organised into Preliminary Rounds, then a Head-to-Head Semi Finals, followed by a Knockout Final.
● Competitors may make minor repairs or adjustments to their sumo-bots between rounds, such as changing programs or moving adjustable components. However, competitors may not delay matches. Delaying a match may lead to forfeit.
● If the Sumo-bot is badly damaged and can not be repaired within 30 seconds, then it is eliminated from that match. A sumo-bot that loses 4 (not including connector pins/friction pegs) or more pieces is considered damaged. A motor/sensor that comes off but remains tethered is still considered as a lost piece towards the count of four. Any parts that fall off your sumo-bot during the round cannot be replaced.
Start of Round
● Participants place their own sumo-bots in the ring.
● At the referee’s signal, one member of each team will manually start their robot. After the match has begun, only the referee is permitted to touch the sumo-bot.
● Sumo-bots will begin back-to-back in the centre of the ring. They must move to the perimeter on their half of the circle, turn, and begin the contest.
● The referee will call: "3, 2, 1, Sumo", on "Sumo", robot handlers will start their sumo-bots. Sumo-bots must wait 3 seconds before moving, allowing handlers to step behind the boundary around the SUMO board.
● Timing starts after the three-second wait. The timer will stop at the end of each round and restart at the beginning of the following round.
● Sumo-bots must be actively seeking by moving around the field. Robots that only spin in place without actively moving will be disqualified from the round.
● After each round, opponents switch sides.
Referee Intervention
A referee may stop or call over a round under the following conditions:
● A sumo-bot is either pushed or voluntarily exits the ring. That sumo-bot loses the round.
● A round lasts longer than one minute without clear progression.
● A handler touches or interferes with a sumo-bot during a round. In such cases, the referee will decide whether to restart the round or award the win to the opposing team.
● If robots become entangled, or stuck in a prolonged pushing match, the judge will halt the round, and the sumo-bots will be restarted at their starting positions.
A Lack of Progress occurs when any of the following conditions are met:
1. Match duration exceeds one minute without clear progress.
The referee will begin a countdown: “5, 4, 3, 2, 1.”
On “1,” both sumo-bots must be picked up.
Once this countdown has started, no winner will be awarded for that match, and the match will be restarted.
2. Robots become immobile due to mechanical or sensor issues.
Examples include sumo-bots being flipped onto their side or becoming otherwise unable to move effectively.
In this case, the referee will begin a countdown: “5, 4, 3, 2, 1.”
Sudden Death (Finals)
In the event of a finals match exceeding the five-minute time limit without a winner, the match will be resolved by sudden death:
● Sudden death consists of a one-minute round, with both sumo-bots repositioned and started by the referee.
● If no winner is determined at the end of one minute, the referee(s) will declare a winner based on the actions and performance observed within the circle.
● If the referee(s) are still unable to make a clear distinction between the sumo-bots, a coin toss will be used to decide the winner.
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