Robot Arena

Muroran Institute of Technology started the project “Formation of a Base for Hands-on High Technology Learning Research at Robot Arena” in 2010 with support from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

The project is intended to establish a “Robot Arena” that is open to the community, to provide hands-on experiences with robots for children living in the community around Robot Arena, to promote robot technology among local people, to develop cutting-edge robot technology and create new industries in cooperation with the surrounding community, to contribute to the local community by conducting project-based learning on community-related practical themes, and to turn a new page in educational research toward developing the abilities of undergraduates and graduate students.
Robots used to be popular in movies and comic books. Nowadays, however, we’re becoming more familiar with them in real life. Robot Arena is a stage for fostering excellence in science and technology toward addressing the forthcoming society where humans and robots will coexist, popularizing robot technology, and achieving various contributions to local society by focusing on robot technology.

Robot Arena was established on the first floor of the Muroran Municipal Institute of Nursing No.3 Building at Takasago-cho, near our college. As this project intends to realize coordination with the surrounding community and contribute to the community, we thought it more effective and more beneficial to locate Robot Arena somewhere open to the community outside our college. With the cooperation of Muroran City, we’ve been able to realize that idea.

Robot Arena is operated by the Robot Arena Project Promotion Office, which has been preparing the facilities at Robot Arena since April 2010. Robot Arena has a factory space where visitors can make robots, a dock space where visitors can conduct tests to evaluate various devices, a contest space and an exhibition space, to provide hands-on experience for visitors so that they can come, watch and touch the robots that are on the market.

Our main activities include (1) various events for youngsters and other citizens (a robot soccer contest, a robot triathlon, junior robot schools, hands-on schools, public lectures, a robotics café), (2) the development of a new educational program on robots at Robot Arena, (3) the development and promotion of robot-related technology following local needs such as those for medical treatment, nursing care, social welfare and care-giving, (4) the development and research of cutting-edge robot technology, and the creation of new industries at the graduate school, and (5) the exchange of information on robot technology with other universities within and beyond Japan. Our plan for close cooperation with Muroran Science Center is ongoing.

Muroran Institute of Technology, which has been playing a leading role in manufacturing education, is happy to provide a space for people to find new inventions here in Muroran, the city of manufacturing. This is Robot Arena’s cherished hope. With the cooperation of Muroran Institute of Technology and people in the surrounding community, we wish to develop Robot Arena as a distinctive new attraction in this region. We hope for your full support.