Just can't enough of the Olympics? Can't wait 'til the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi or the 2016 Summer Games in Rio?
No problem. Check out the Robot Olympics. Okay, technically it's the FIRA RobotWorld Cup but they compete in similar events as the Olympics.
FIRA, by the way, stands for The Federation of International Robot-soccer Association. Yes, there is such a thing.
The robots take part in all kinds of events - soccer, weightlifting, sprinting, basketball, marathon - and organizers say many of them compete in more than one sport.
They're like the Clara Hughes of robots! 26 teams from around the world are competing, including Canada, as you'll see in this BBC report.
Today is the last day of competition.
If there's a Usain Bolt robot, it's from Singapore. As one organizer told the BBC, "The sprint world record was 42 seconds but Singapore has smashed that with 31 seconds." However, the robots don't run 100 metres; they run three metres forward and three metres back.
With any event, there is one important rule. Once the robot starts, the owners can't touch them. But as far as the type of robot you can use, the rules seem pretty loose.
In some cases, the robots are home-made. In others, they're bought from a store. Incidentally, the store-bought ones are outperforming the home-made ones. Sure, but are they being tested?
By the way, on a side note, Usain Bolt says he's considering switching from sprinting to another event before the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Bolt told Britain's Sky Television "It's just about making different goals, there's a lot of things I can do in the sport... My coach wants me to do 400 metres, I want to try long jump."
Bolt is the fastest man on the planet and has won six gold medals - three in 2012 in London and three in 2008 in Beijing - in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay.
Bolt also said he will compete in Rio. "Yes, definitely I will be there (in Rio), as long as I'm fit and I'm ready," he said. "It'll be a little bit harder but I'm looking forward to it."
Related stories on Strombo.com:
VIDEO OF THE DAY: The Olympics (8-Bit Style)
IMAGES OF THE DAY: It's A Small World After All... Even At The Olympics
Comments
Note: The CBC does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comments, you acknowledge that CBC has the right to reproduce, broadcast and publicize those comments or any part thereof in any manner whatsoever. Please note that comments are pre-moderated/reviewed and published according to our submission guidelines.