Strong Rival

After getting out of the car and looking at the enormous science and technology museum, they immediately felt small. This was the power of humanity—such bizarre and varied buildings could actually be constructed.

"Let's go. We'll head inside with the team. By now, universities from all over Ning City should have gathered in the venue. We're only one representative team among them."

Chen Feng nodded and followed Li Zhengyang inside. Once they entered and saw everything around them, he felt rather curious. The robots here came in all sorts of strange forms.

Li Zhengyang's robot resembled a spider. Spiders had a unique structure that allowed them to handle any kind of terrain perfectly, and Spider Robots could be seen everywhere.

There was no originality at all. If it were Chen Feng, he would never make a robot like that. Even a worm robot would have been far better than a Spider Robot.

That said, Spider Robots were the only ones that were easy to make. If they were to make worm robots, they probably did not have the capability.

Worm robots required extremely precise components. First, they had to ensure how the worm robot would operate. If it moved by pushing itself along with its abdomen, that would be even more complicated, and the gears might even jam.

It was also difficult to make sure the electronics would not short-circuit. Those were all uncontrollable factors, which was why there was not a single worm robot in sight.

Coming here this time had been worthwhile. Looking at the dazzling array of robots broadened Chen Feng's thinking. Of course, he would not casually make meaningless things when he returned, because they would not sell even if he did.

They continued forward and soon arrived at a booth reserved for Ning City University. They placed their robot on display there, though they were merely one among countless robot exhibits.

However, the moment they placed their robot on the stand, it still drew plenty of attention. Its structure was extremely intricate. Even among Spider Robots, none of the other contestants' creations were as exquisite as the one Li Zhengyang's team had made.

After all, Chen Feng had made it for them using a 3D Printer. Many of its parts had been produced by Chen Feng, so no other robot could compare in terms of refinement.

All the electronic components were enclosed within the Spider Robot's shell. The robot gleamed with silver light like a metal spider, and its structure was excellent, making it especially eye-catching.

Soon afterward, however, another booth attracted just as much attention. The sign above it read Ning City University of Science and Technology.

Displayed at Ning City University of Science and Technology's booth was a bird robot, one of the few bird robots present. Bird robots stood upright on two legs, making them a whole level more complex.

Some bird robots could even glide simply, though that was not a requirement for these university students.

After all, bird robots capable of flight had extremely demanding requirements. Yet the inherent design difficulty of bird robots was there for all to see, making the difference in level immediately apparent.

Li Zhengyang stared intensely at Ning City University of Science and Technology's booth. To him, they were a formidable rival that had to be defeated.

Robot competitions were divided into many events. Whether it was running, crossing obstacles, or other categories, they were all quite complex. Although bird robots were technically difficult, once built, they possessed unique advantages.

At the very least, bird robots had lighter bodies and could jump with ease. Their wings were also fitted with decorative feathers that helped them maintain balance.

Spider Robots were also very stable, perhaps even several levels better than bird robots in some respects. However, their technical difficulty was lower, so their scoring potential was not as high as that of bird robots.

"What do you think? Are you confident? They're our formidable rivals."

Chen Feng spoke to Li Zhengyang.

"Of course I'm confident. But being confident is one thing; whether we can successfully defeat them is another."

That was simply the reality. Even though Li Zhengyang was confident, they could not guarantee that they would defeat them. They could only wait and see the result.

Because the schedule was tight, the competition began at around ten o'clock. They had already entered the venue. Afterward, all unrelated personnel had to leave the competition area, while contestants could naturally remain inside. The arena was fairly large and divided into many sections, each with its own specific setting.

Chen Feng was not actually interested in the competition itself. He merely wanted to observe the robots' mobility. But as the competition went on and he watched their performance, he felt they were like toys.

They could not even be called toy-like. They were simply these people's toys. Compared with truly top-tier robots, they were still far behind. Compared with the intelligent robots he had seen in movies, they were not even the same species.

It seemed robot research still had a long way to go. Robot research represented many things. First, there had to be connection devices similar to neural synapses. Such devices were a worldwide problem, followed by Artificial Intelligence.

Artificial Intelligence was easy to understand: simulation programs capable of autonomous awareness. Such programs could make stress responses like humans and perform all kinds of complex movements and expressions.

Those two points alone had already discouraged countless scientists. So what was there to see in the robots developed by this group of children? Still, some of the robots gave Chen Feng other ideas. At least when creating things in the future, he would no longer be so rigid. Perhaps one day he would use the 3D Printer to print other things.

Chen Feng turned his attention to Li Zhengyang's robot and found that it had performed quite well so far. With parts printed by Chen Feng's 3D Printer, its coordination was much stronger—stronger even than that bird robot in some respects.

But that bird robot was not to be underestimated either. From the looks of it, it had also completed several difficult movements. Even climbing over complex terrain posed no challenge to it.

Without question, that bird robot was absolutely Li Zhengyang's team's formidable rival.