[Report] Hebocon Workshop at Iikane Palette

Hebocon held on August 2, 2025 at Iikane Palette, Tagawa City, Fukuoka!!

We borrowed a room at Iikane Palette, a complex converted from a former school in Tagawa City, Fukuoka, and held a Hebocon workshop for kids and adults. Here’s a report on how it went!

What is Hebocon?

Let’s start with a quick refresher on what Hebocon actually is. The video below explains the concept in detail and I’d love for you to watch it, but for you fellow hebo (lame) folks who don’t have the time or energy for that, let me cover it here too.

A contest that competes on “hebo-ness”

As the name suggests, Hebocon is a contest where robots compete on how “hebo” (crappy/lame) they are. It runs as a sumo-style tournament where robots push each other around, but what’s actually being judged is how low the technical skill on display is — and beyond that, how far the result diverged from the original plan, or that the builder gave up because they simply couldn’t build it, or even forgot their robot on the train and never made it to the venue. Even the builder’s own hebo-ness gets evaluated.

So you might be wondering — what’s the point of all that? Of course, it’s not meaningless at all!

The value of: “anyone can join in, and it’s fun. It makes you want to try making something.”

Hebocon has actually been recognized worldwide as a piece of STEAM education material, used in classes and competitions across the globe. In a normal robot contest, you’d typically expect high technical skill and steady, incremental improvement based on techniques built up by engineers. But Hebocon, which competes on low technical skill, needs neither of those. That’s why —

Anyone can join in, and it’s fun.

It makes you want to try making something.

“I don’t know how to program,” or “I’ve got no sense for drawing” —

I think everyone has, at some point, given up on making something for reasons like that.

It’s okay. Hebocon rewards that very “hebo-ness.” So you can dive into making things with peace of mind. That’s one piece of the value Hebocon offers. But the true essence of Hebocon goes even further than that.

The ultimate goal: discover the wonder of “hebo,” and gain a life where you enjoy being hebo

You wanted to try something, so you gave it a shot — but it doesn’t go well at all, and what you end up with is nothing like what you first imagined. You trial-and-error your way to “well, this’ll do,” and what comes out is some robot that moves in a strange way. Being able to find that cute, find that funny. Not just for yourself, but everyone around you looking at each other’s robots, somehow wanting to cheer them on, and can’t help but smile at that hebo-ness. Gaining that very sensation is the true appeal of Hebocon.

Discover the wonder of “hebo,” and gain a life where you enjoy being hebo.

Hebocon’s official site states this as its ultimate goal.

That’s why I wanted to hold a Hebocon

And what’s important, I believe, is that this set of values doesn’t just get you a reduced resistance to taking on challenges, or tolerance toward “failure.”

It’s an attitude that goes beyond simply succeeding — one that recognizes each other’s weaknesses and finds it precious to share fun time together.

As shown in the video at the top, Hebocon has a culture where everyone, no matter who, can enjoy themselves with a smile. Through the process of coming up with a robot idea and making it to the contest, you interact with people and laugh together. Through that, other people’s “hebo-ness” starts to feel warm and endearing. It’s precisely because I wanted to convey that kind of connection that I held Hebocon here in Tagawa.

What building time looked like

That intro ran long, but here’s a rundown of the day:

• @ Room 1, Iikane Palette, Tagawa City, Fukuoka
• Schedule Saturday, August 2, 2025, 12:00–17:00 Event explanation: until 12:30 Building: until 14:30 Matches: until 15:00 Hebo award voting and awards ceremony: until 15:30
• Participants: 8 (3 kids, 5 adults)
• Facilitators: 2
• Free to enter with your own robot; ¥2,000 materials fee if building on the day

Since this was a workshop, we did things a bit differently from a standard Hebocon and had everyone build their robot on the spot. That said, time is limited, so to make sure even people who’d never done electronics before could join, we (the organizers) prepared base robots and materials for building in advance. During the build time, participants chose a base robot, then attached things like disposable chopsticks, wire, googly-eye stickers, and other potential decorations or weapons — competing on hebo-ness based on what kind of robot they’d meant to build, what they actually ended up with, and how it performed in the sumo matches.

All the kids who joined this time had brought along a base robot they’d built themselves to some extent, and I was worried that even with two hours of build time set aside, they might end up with time on their hands. But once it got going, after a bit of initial hesitation, each of them attached whatever decorations or weapons they fancied and seemed to be enjoying it even when things didn’t quite work. Everyone kept trial-and-erroring away in a lively buzz, wondering if they could make it more interesting, and before we knew it, two hours had passed. In the end, it turned out to be just the right amount of time — enough that robots didn’t turn out “too good,” while still leaving builders satisfied.

The qualifiers!!

Matches ran tournament-style, and this time’s ring was built to the official spec: a 50cm × 100cm board placed on top of a teacher’s desk. There was some worry about pieces falling off and breaking, but that’s also part of Hebocon’s appeal. Honestly, they seemed likely to break the moment they collided anyway. Just in case, we took a group photo beforehand (see the video thumbnail).

After the players (builders) explained their robot’s features, special moves, and what made it hebo, the matches finally began. As mentioned above, what you intended to build and what it actually became are both important scoring points for Hebocon. So — what kind of robots did the players build, and what kind of matches unfolded?!

Match 1: [Matomaru-kun / Stag Beetle] vs [Ando Shu / Elie-man]

Player: Matomaru-kun

Robot name: Stag Beetle

Features and special move: Attacks the opponent with a leaping horn.

Where it’s hebo: Doesn’t leap unless the music is playing.

An adorable smile on this one. It looks like it’s covered and decorated with a paper bag. If the chopsticks at the front are the horns, what are those deer-antler hairbands for? Maybe those are what pops out. And apparently it makes a sound too. Can’t wait.

Player: Ando Shu

Robot name: Elie-man

Features and special move: “Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah” (verbatim, as submitted)

Where it’s hebo: The way it intimidates people. Also the way it strikes weird poses. Apparently it might already be fixed by now, though.

Built on top of a stuffed tiger toy, this machine has a ton of chopsticks attached like spears, so it looks like it packs a lot of attack power. Curious what kind of intimidation it’ll do, and I’d love to see one of those weird poses too. Apparently Elie-man is being held right against the tiger’s chest.

Match start!!

A shocking opening for match 1. Apparently the way you activate Stag Beetle is by hitting it. I’ll let you check the YouTube video linked at the end for the details, but the Anpanman March starts playing. So that’s what “makes a sound” meant. And what’s that black stuff spilling out at the same time?

Meanwhile, Elie-man did a scratching motion in place for a few seconds, then charged straight at Stag Beetle! It looked like a hand was helping it along, but no matter what anyone says, that’s a controller. Truly high-tech. It went on to push Stag Beetle clean out of the ring with its powerful horns and momentum, becoming the winner of match 1. As it fell, the deer-antler hairband came loose and stayed behind in the ring, drawing laughs from everyone. Sadly, we didn’t get to see one of Elie-man’s weird poses this time.

Match 2: [Otsuki / The Turtle Who Wanted to Fly] vs [Escapist Designer / Deadline Giraffe]

Player: Otsuki

Robot name: The Turtle Who Wanted to Fly

Features and special move:

Wind Cutter Tornado — attacks approaching robots with a spinning propeller.

Where it’s hebo:

The special move’s name is hebo.

Not being able to fly is hebo.

The propeller is heavy, so it spins slower than intended, which is hebo.

This machine is built on a Tamiya Robocraft Series Mecha Turtle (crawl type) as its base, with a small fan motor attached on top to extend into a propeller. Apparently it feels nice and cool if you bring your hand close. Looks like it could pack quite a bit of attack power!

Player: Escapist Designer

Robot name: Deadline Giraffe

Features and special move:

Most motivated 3 hours before the deadline.

Ballooning workload. Sponge “projects” can get tangled up together and multiply into even more projects.

Where it’s hebo:

Gets tangled in its own wire and can’t move itself.

Spent more than half the build time on lunch break, so it wasn’t built with much detail.

Even the submission of this very entry form was down to the wire.

The base is a Tamiya Mecha Giraffe (quadruped type). Wire wrapped around its body has a bunch of “projects” (sponges) skewered onto it. Behind its cute-looking exterior lies a heavy theme. Packed with plenty of adult anguish, this machine drew laughs and knowing nods from the parents and adult participants. I imagine a lot of people saw themselves in it.

In the first round, the two never actually collided — The Turtle Who Wanted to Fly attempted to soar right out of the ring, triggering the hebo-hebo rule for a rematch. They restarted from a closer starting position.

Deadline Giraffe, weighed down by the projects it’s carrying, moved slowly but pushed dead straight ahead. With outstanding stability, it shrugged off The Turtle Who Wanted to Fly’s Wind Cutter Tornado entirely and claimed a clean victory. Deadlines really are important, huh. As for The Turtle Who Wanted to Fly, it looked like it was consistently trying to soar into the sky the whole time, more than actually fighting. That earnestness is endearing.

Match 3: [Kuroki / Mecha Cow-kun] vs [Sajisaji / Shaun the Sheep]

Player: Kuroki

Robot name: Mecha Cow-kun

Features and special move:

Ball throw.

Where it’s hebo:

The special move only fires about 30% of the time.

Next up is a Tamiya Robocraft Series Mecha Kangaroo with all sorts of mechanisms attached. The long chopsticks extending left and right evoke a water buffalo’s horns. It looks like it has a separately-powered, motorized catapult on its back — pretty high-tech for this Hebocon. Are the balloons on the back for balance? Wouldn’t be surprising if they’re just decoration.

Player: Sajisaji

Robot name: Shaun the Sheep

Features and special move:

Just, kind of, moves forward somehow?

Might move unpredictably, just like Shaun?

Where it’s hebo:

Just like Shaun, it pushes on relentlessly, but might move unpredictably! It’s carrying today’s proof of having run through fields and warehouses too.

This one’s fluffy sponge tangled with flowers and a pair of wide-open eyes make it adorable. Built on the base of a Tamiya Robocraft Series Mecha Ostrich. The sponge should make for a nice cushion — but also looks heavy at the same time. Will it actually be able to move? Worth watching.

Mecha Cow-kun’s throw fires off right as the match begins! It beat the 30% activation odds, but both balls sail right past Shaun the Sheep. Too bad! And on top of that, Mecha Cow-kun had its switch flipped the wrong way and started backing up — a hasty correction sent it forward again.

Meanwhile, Shaun the Sheep landed a direct hit on Mecha Cow-kun’s right horn! For a moment it looked like a standoff, but then, as if dancing together, the two of them started spinning round and round in place. Getting along is a good thing. In the end, the 1-minute time limit ran out, and under the hebo-hebo rule — whoever had advanced further wins — Shaun the Sheep was declared the winner this time.

Match 4: [Seishiro Yuta / Doraemon] vs [Morita / The Beetle Lured by Bait]

Player: Seishiro Yuta

Robot name: Doraemon

Features and special move:

Hits the opponent with the helicopter on its head, plus a bite attack.

Where it’s hebo:

Its movement is hebo.

This machine, built on a base the player brought from home, has a bamboo-copter and big round white feet attached, and carries the name Doraemon. The white feet rotate like wheels to move it along. Look closely and you’ll notice those wheels are actually angular, so the movement looks fairly hebo. Beyond having monster-like jaws, it can also tip the bamboo-copter on its head forward to land a punch. Hard to say how useful that’ll actually turn out to be — exciting to find out.

Player: Morita

Robot name: The Beetle Lured by Bait

Features and special move:

Strongest when caught up chasing immediate desire!!

Little Beetle-kun spotted a watermelon. Starving, with the watermelon right in front of him, he summons his very last burst of strength.

Where it’s hebo:

But it’s Beetle-kun himself who’s carrying the watermelon on his back — no matter how far he goes, he can never catch up to it, his body only grows heavier, and his strength only fades. He has no strength left over to push his opponent. Dangling the bait in front of him and squeezing out his last ounce of strength, only to find the bait was nothing but an illusion, and die in vain. Somewhere out there, this same story repeats every summer’s end: the beetle’s corpse.

This machine has an actual watermelon rind dangling in front of a Tamiya Robocraft Series Mecha Beetle. Apparently this watermelon is being used at the request of a friend who couldn’t make it to the event. It looks like this makes it extremely hard to move forward, but the builder seems satisfied to have fulfilled their friend’s wish. Enjoying the story behind it is very much a Hebocon thing to do.

In round 1, the two never collided — Beetle-kun got lured off course by the watermelon, while Doraemon’s foot came off and it was stuck in place, unable to move. Both display some fine hebo-ness, but immobile Doraemon might have a slight edge in the hebo department.

Just like match 2, the hebo-hebo rule kicked in and the match restarted with the two brought closer together. Fortunately, Doraemon’s foot had also recovered, and it slowly closed in and landed a direct hit with the bamboo-copter! Successfully knocking Beetle-kun down! Normally the more hebo you are, the less likely you are to win a sumo match — but this time, it looks like Doraemon took the win on both the sumo match and the hebo-ness front. Well played.

The championship and the “Most Hebo Robot” award

The semifinals and finals were a huge hit too. A trophy is awarded to the winner of the sumo tournament, but at Hebocon, that pales next to the next award — this event’s headline prize, the “Most Hebo Robot” award. Of course, the finest trophy and prizes go to that one. This time, a trophy made by a 3rd-grade elementary schooler and a Hebocon 2025 T-shirt were awarded — but what kind of trophy was it, and whose hands did it end up in? Be sure to check the video!

Wrapping up

This workshop came together amid a lot of hustle, and I had my share of anxiety about it. But I got to see both adults and kids get absorbed in making things, enjoy the matches, and above all, find the hebo-ness genuinely funny. I think I managed to convey at least a little of the spirit and culture of Hebocon, which was my whole aim. At the same time, I also spotted some things to improve, so while it’s a lot of work, I want to keep chipping away at what I can, bit by bit.

I’ve written up a more detailed reflection and my future plans in a separate article below, so if you have the time, I’d be glad if you took a look.

今後の活動について｜Koki Itoハロー、教育とロボットが好きなイトーです。最近の近況と今後の活動についてまとめるタイミングを逃していたので、今回まとめていきたいと思います。 7月・8月イベント開催 7・8月でヘボコンワークショップというイベントを僕が主催で開催しました。「いいかねPalette」で何かイベントをやってみるという目標を達成できて本当にうれしいです。協力してくださった方々、本当にありがとうございました🙏 今回、7月は事前ワークショップ、8月は本番のワークショップを開催しました。どちらも僕の目指したものを実現できて満足しています。8月の本番ワークショップでは、8人のメンバーを集め、ロボットを当日製作しnote（ノート）

I’ll keep centering my activities around Tagawa City going forward. Please follow the Instagram to keep up with what’s next.

タビロボ社 (@tabi_robo) • Instagram photos and videos50 Followers, 11 Following, 18 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from タビロボ社 (@tabi_robo)www.instagram.com

Acknowledgments

Lastly, thank you so much to everyone who took part this time, and everyone who helped with running the event, for taking the time out of your busy schedules. I look forward to continuing to work with you all.

References

What is Hebocon? (official site)

On the spirit of Hebocon (interview article)

『ヘボコン』はヘボいロボットが大集合！　「うまくいかないことも楽しむ」極意とは - コクリコ｜講談社技術力が低い人限定のロボコン、通称『ヘボコン』主催・石川大樹さんインタビュー全２回。後編は「失敗」することの魅力、面白さについて。コクリコ｜講談社

Hebocon these days (Hebocon 2025 report)

愛は戦いを制するのか！？できの悪いロボットで戦うロボットバトルイベント、ヘボコン2025レポート技術力の低い人限定ロボコン（通称：ヘボコン）2025。不器用な人のロボットバトルを眺める大会だが、結果的に愛とヒューマンドラマに満ちてしまったことをご報告します。 (石川大樹)デイリーポータルZ

An example of Hebocon used in a class (report article)

小学校でヘボコンの授業をする（僕なんかがプログラミング教育でいいんですか）技術力のない人が無理やりロボット相撲をする大会、ヘボコン。そんなヘボコンが、小学校の授業になった。急な話で「えっ？」って感じだが、ほんとになったのだ。 (石川大樹)デイリーポータルZ