DJI to Stream the RoboMaster 2017 Robotics Competition Exclusively on Twitch – The Drive

DJI announced Monday that the RoboMaster 2017 finals which it sponsors will be streamed on the social video portal Twitch, exclusively. DJI is the world's leader in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for consumers and hobbyists, whether for simple cruising or for aerial photography. Twitch, of course, is the number one streaming platform for video games and other geek-related media.

"RoboMaster 2017 is an annual robotics competition for teams of aspiring engineers to design and build next-generation robots and to complete with teams from around the world," DJI wrote in a press release.

If this sparks your curiosity, head on over to Twitch's RoboMaster page and tune in. The finals are in full swing now in China's technology capital of Shenzhen and will come to a close on August 6. Don't worry, you can watch this without regional restriction, and aren't relegated to only Chinese commentary, as there's an English one available, too.

As somebody who watched American Gladiator and BattleBots as a child, this provides for a strong sense of nostalgia in that regard. The arena strongly reminds of those shows, but in this case, there's more of a focus on the actual engineering and strategy as opposed to theatrics and loud noises. How does the actual game in which these teams are competing in work? Well, it's fairly simple but warmly familiar to anyone who's ever played a video game or two.

"Each side has five types of robots: Hero, Infantry, Engineer, Drone, and Base. At the start of each seven-minute match, both teams set off from their starting corners, firing at each other on the obstacle-filled battleground. Every robot is equipped with sensors that convert hits into reduced Health Points (HP)," the press release said. "When a robot's HP drops to zero, it will be disabled, allowing the opposing team to further penetrate the opponents base. A team wins when it destroys the opponent's Base robot or whichever team has a higher Base HP at the end."

What does the winner get, you ask? Well, first prize is a nice 200,000 yuan, ($1,815.20). Second prize receives 100,000 yuan ($907.60), with third prize being 50,000 yuan ($453.80). Not too shabby.

Cinzia Palumbo, Senior Brand Manager at DJI, explained in the press release that the "competition started in China a few years ago and now attracts teams from the U.S., U.K., Germany, and the rest of Asia. By streaming RoboMaster 2017 on Twitch, it will enable us to reach a global audience and allow more people to realize how robotics could impact and change the world we live in."

Sounds like the team has its hands full with more than a simple robotics event that takes place once a year. This seems like their motivation comes from an urge to inspire others to get into engineering, and provide opportunities to young people in relation to skill-building and value to the job market. It certainly reminds of the Aerial Sports League's efforts or what the folks at Goodwood Festival of Speed were doing this summer.

If you're worried about tuning at the right time, don't worry about missing any particular live events. Twitch understands that we're all spread out over various time zones, and offers the ability to watch replays of previous events. Currently, for example, "Finals Day 1" is streamingtime to catch up.

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DJI to Stream the RoboMaster 2017 Robotics Competition Exclusively on Twitch - The Drive