In anticipation of coin-op industry’s AMOA show in Las Vegas, Robotic Amusements has nominated Robo Basho™ for the Innovator Award. Asked why he thinks Robo Basho™ can win, co-founder Joe Johnson said, “Robo Basho™ clearly uses new technology to enable game play that is totally new. The sensors and technology in the arcade are an engineering tour de force. But all that doesn’t matter to those gamers out there. What matters is that the game is a blast. Players love it. That means more coins in the cash box.” Using innovation to contribute to the bottom line of arcade owners and operators is the mission of Robotic Amusements, Inc.

TV reporter, Jason Carr, of FOX 2 News in Detroit, was clearly taken with the new arcade game, Robo Basho™. Featuring three colorful robots that play king-of-the-hill sumo style, he was hooked from his first play. Watch the coverage that made Detroit news on September 5, 2006 (link to YouTube video). “While the story did provide some coverage of the arcade, the news segment focused more on the human interest story of two engineers leaving the auto industry,” said President, Mike Ciavaglia. Chief Technologist, Dr. Joseph M. Johnson, P.E., agreed, “While the automotive and coin-op industries are very different, we’ve been in development of technology for our whole careers. Now we’re just using technology to collect coins out of people’s pockets rather than opening car doors.”

Robotic Amusements’ first public trial of Robo Basho™, the robotic arcade game that seeks to take the industry by storm, took place at a large family entertainment center/bar at Great Lakes Crossing, in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Robo Basho™ attracted a lot of attention with 700 paid plays during the one week trial. On a single day, it had 300 plays with lines forming from 9pm to well past midnight. While the trial was not without problems, inventor Joe Johnson said, “We learned a lot. With a few changes and improvements this arcade will have a great launch. The thing that surprised us was how much people (especially girls!) loved the robot victory dance. People often taunted their opponents by imitating that victory dance, resulting in many repeat plays. This trial has proven the game can be a real earner.”

Positioning itself as long term members of the amusement industry, Robotic Amusements has joined several leading coin-op and amusement trade associations: AMOA, AAMA and IAAPA. RA plans to produce innovative products involving robotics for years to come. They look forward to someday being a powerful influence on an ever changing industry. Co-founder Mike Ciavaglia said, “We want to be active participants in these associations. We think Robotic Amusements has a lot to gain from joining these groups. Our hope is that we can give back as well. I think we have a lot of new and exciting ideas to offer the industry.”

Robotic Amusements hobnobs with the movers and shakers in Detroit at the annual black tie gala fundraising event, Hob Nobble Gobble. RA was engaged to provide three Robo-Basho™ tables at the event which hosted over 1000 adults and children. All three tables, each of which ran a three person game, were being used continuously throughout the evening. The crowds were definitely enthralled with this never before seen entertainment. One boy cried, “When can I get this for my PlayStation or XBOX 360?” “You’ll have to visit your arcade or fun center if you want to play Robo Basho,™” said Mike Ciavaglia, president of RA. Bringing the public to your location is yet another reason to consider buying from RA.

After almost year of quiet development, Robotic Amusements, Inc., Huntington Woods, Michigan, announced plans to begin marketing their first game, Robo Basho™ to the Coin Op and Party Entertainment markets.

*Coin Op Arcade*

“The coin op business is ready for something new. Just pick up any of the recent coin op trade publications. Read Replay and PlayMeter. The public is tired of first person shooter games and racing games. What's next? A racing & shooting game? Please. Been there. Done that,” said RA's President, Mike Ciavaglia. “Remote controlled robots. THAT's something new, something people will drop a few coins in just to try out the novelty. The thing is, once they play Robo Basho™ , I'm telling you, they play it again and again. It's King-of-the-Hill with cute little robots. It's a fun game, pure and simple.”

The coin op version of Robo Basho™ is a 4 player game that runs totally unattended. Robots are remote controlled by the players. Lifting center dohyo adds excitement to game action. Robots that fall or get pushed off the edge are out for the rest of the match. Robot righting and field reset are computer controlled after the Basho ends. Robots automatically drive into garages below the dohyo when fewer than 4 guests play at one time and after hours for recharging.

*Party Entertainment*

“We brought our Party Entertainment Robo Basho™ to the FIRST Championships in Atlanta attended by over 12,000 people. They loved it! Kids played that game over and over,” said RA Co-founder “Dr. Joe” Johnson. “They had 100's of other activities to distract them, yet the lines to play Robo Basho™ never let up.”

The Party Entertainment world is a growing world: birthdays, barmitzvas, holiday parties, and so on. The number of parties where parents are expected to provide entertainment for their guests grows every year. In addition, the bar keeps getting raised in terms of what it takes to keep these kids from getting bored. Robo Basho™ is exciting and new, something that every kid will want at their next party. Word of mouth bookings and repeat bookings for Robo Basho™ party entertainment are excellent.

Robotic Amusements, Inc. announces that they will sponsor a FIRST Robotics VEX team for the FIRST VEX Challenge. The Daughters of Isaac, Team #23, an all girls team from Huntington Woods, Michigan, will receive technical and financial support from Robotic Amusements to participate in a 50 team demonstration tournament to be held in the Georgia Dome April 21-23, 2005. The FIRST VEX Challenge will be held in conjunction with the FIRST Robotics Championships. Radio Shack and FIRST have teamed up to develop robotic kit that is easy to use and fun to play with.