Rugby robot with a kick to rival Dan Carter

A life-sized rugby robot with kicking abilities to rival humans is under development – but the Crusaders aren't planning to replace Dan Carter with RoboDan any time soon.

A team of Massey University engineering students are working on prototypes for the robot, which they say will be able to take on humans in a goal-kicking contest and win.

Carter, the second highest points scorer in test rugby, should be worried, Maurice Tipene, robotics masters student and team leader, said yesterday.

"Oh yeah, definitely. We are pretty confident that we can do it – it's just getting it accurate."

The robot is being created to promote the first Robotics World Cup, an event with a $10,000 first prize to be held in New Zealand as part of a showcase of Kiwi innovation during the Rugby World Cup. Dozens of international school and university teams are expected to attend.

The robot's legs would be designed to move like a human's, Mr Tipene said. It would be slightly smaller than the aver-age All Black, giving it a "cute factor" that could win over a crowd.

Despite the mechanical menace posed by RoboDan, the Crusaders media manager, Patrick McKendry, did not think the real Dan would be too intimidated. "I don't think he'd be that threatened, to be honest, but that's just a hunch."

Carter is in Capetown, preparing for the Crusaders' game against the Cheetahs this Saturday. He has been out with a hamstring injury, but that looked likely to be healed in time for him to play.

Mr McKendry agreed that muscle injuries could be a weak spot exploited by RoboDan.

"One good thing about a robot is they might not have hamstrings to pull. " But he doubted a robot would be able to employ sophisticated decision-making and rugby techniques.

"Frankly, I don't think robots would be able to do that. Not for a long, long time, anyway."

Mr Tipene is part of the Massey University robotics team, who have just returned from the United States, beating 36 international universities to take out the Vex Robotics World Champs in Florida.

His team created a pair of robots programmed to compete in a game called Round Up, in which the robots had to stack plastic rings on to goal posts.

They won by building robots with arms strong enough to shift the goal posts, playing a "very offensive game", which confused the less-skilled robots.

Massey University senior lecturer in robotics Johan Potgieter said Rugby World Cup Minister Murray McCully had also expressed interest in competing against the robot.