Author Archives: Jakob Wegmann

Team-Sync since RoboCup 2024

Posted on by

To keep you up to date between events, here’s a mid-update with the biggest happenings since the last RoboCup. Let’s jump right in with the …

Electronics Subteam

Theo with his new oscilloscope

If there’s one thing we’ve learned in recent years, it’s that our radio communication isn’t exactly the best. That’s why discussions about a new radio protocol are in full swing, and a new radio master is also being developed.
Furthermore, optimizations are being made everywhere to improve our efficiency in specific areas. Currently, we are improving our shooting mechanism and our battery management system.
In addition to a new oscilloscope (an electronic measuring device), which makes everyone involved very, very happy, the first steps toward a new generation are already underway.

Firmware Subteam

Meanwhile, the Firmware Subteam has a lot of ongoing projects. One goal is to improve our robots’ internal position estimation so that they can stay in one spot without the camera’s assistance. Currently, the robots move slightly and, so to speak, walk away from us.
We also want to improve how our robots store measurement data, as this data is unfortunately often lost. There’s nothing more frustrating than conducting a good test but only being able to use 60% of the data during evaluation.
The most significant innovation likely concerns dribbling. We’ve long wanted to implement actual dribbling rather than our “ER-Force dribbling,” where we push the ball along the housing. Since this has emerged as a major weakness during recent tournaments, we’re deeply focused on improving it.

Mechanics Subteam

On the left, the old wheels with O-rings; on the right, the new ones with X-rings

The Mechanics Subteam also worked on developing a new dribbler. But that’s not all, as the new generation and robot design are being planned here as well. However, the primary focus was laying the groundwork for the coming months. For example, we’ve equipped our new Omniwheels, which now have more Subwheels, with a new type of rings. This allows the robots to drive more smoothly.
Additionally, due to several damages in the basement, it has been cleared out, reorganized, and cleaned multiple times.
The funniest innovation is probably our new robot stands, as we are not allowed to take our old wooden ones overseas.

Software Subteam

As part of the new “dribbling” vision, the paths that the robots ultimately follow in strategy must be planned. To enable this, an interface between the calculation module and the robot module has been developed.
Additionally, we’re trying to incorporate machine learning into our strategy. For example, parameters are optimized automatically, or future scenarios are evaluated and executed optimally for us.
Anyone who has watched the TIGERs play knows that they have some victory moves. To counter this, we’ve also started working on victory dances of our own.

In addition to all this, the first preparations for the upcoming RoboCup 2025 and Schubert Cup 2025 are already underway. We’ve also already held a freshman workshop and the annual general meeting, where Christoph Schmidtmeier and Arthur Sahm were elected as our new board.

Finally, we wish you all happy holidays and a great start to the new year!

University Group Meeting & Open Lab Day

Posted on by

As every year, we will also participate in the University Group Meeting on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, at the Red Square of the Faculty of Engineering. We’ll have an information booth there all day, where we’ll share insights about Robotics and the RoboCup with anyone interested. Additionally, we’ll set up a small field where you can drive the robots manually.

We are also hosting our Open Lab Day on October 30, 2024. This will likely take place in the basement of the Blue Skyscraper at TechFak, where we’ll demonstrate our robots live in a test match against ourselves. You can learn more about this at the University Group Meeting or in an upcoming post.

Feel free to drop by at both events. We look forward to seeing you there!

RoboCup 2024: Final Setup Day – Technical Challenge and Radio Problems?

Posted on by

The last setup day has arrived. To prepare our sleep schedule for the upcoming days, we headed to the hall at 7:30 AM today. Despite many tired faces, the focus was immediately there. It had to be, as our Technical Challenge “Black and White” starts at 8 PM, where the efficient changing of shell colors is tested. This challenge was introduced to make the different teams more recognizable to the audience.

LEAGUE TEST MATCH:

Yesterday, for the first time, we were able to conduct a test match against ourselves to identify many errors. Today, it was the TIGERs’ turn. Unlike us, they played a test match against RobôCIn to demonstrate the game flow to the entire league.

 

 

 

 

 

 

RADIO ISSUES:

Meanwhile, a third of the strategy team is working on fixing radio issues. If you fear that this RoboCup might face a similar downfall as the last one, let me reassure you. The radio now works well for 8 robots, which is sufficient for the group phase, as teams can play with 8 robots if they wish. However, this won’t work in the knockout phase, where each team can field 11 robots if they are able. Testing the solution is proving to be a persistent problem due to random parameters and outcomes. However, we remain confident that we will solve this in time.

 

ROBOT MANUFACTURING:

Not only the strategy but also the mechanics team is working at full speed. They are continuously manufacturing parts to have more robots in stock (and hopefully on the field). Special attention is being paid to the wheels to ensure they run more smoothly than before. However, a robot is not only made up of parts but also of firmware, which runs on the robot. Since there are still heat issues, the only solution is to keep at it, test, and not lose hope. Ultimately, errors, substitutions, and sources of damage should be minimized as much as possible.

RoboCup Eindhoven: Setup Day – Quick Update

Posted on by

By now, the second setup day is almost over, and yet there are problems everywhere. However, these are not only with us. For example, it took up to 4 hours after the hall opened for the light switches for the fields to be turned on. The Vision software – the software for seeing the robots – is very light-sensitive and was calibrated to full light exposure yesterday. Since only about 50% of that was available this morning, all vision-dependent tests could practically not be carried out. At least this year, we have an extra day for setup compared to usual. Now a bit more detail on the sub-teams:

MECHANICS:

First, the mechanics team had to make the robots suitable for the tournament. This means securing the screws and cutting the league paper for the patterns on the robots. The former was particularly slow, and the work, as important as it is, is one of the more tedious kinds. Currently, the robots’ kickers are also being calibrated. The software setup was probably the hardest part, as it took a total of 3 attempts and 3 laptops before it worked. Intermittent repairs on the robots, such as on the light barrier, are also always necessary.

 

ELECTRONICS:

Since our electronics sub-team has been preparing for RoboCup for weeks by ordering parts and repairing boards, everything is going quite smoothly here. The biggest problem is the overheating of the robots, where a connection with the regulation is suspected. A solution to this problem could be heat sinks, which are being shaped on-site with considerable physical effort.

STRATEGY:

This year, too, the strategy team was not spared from the traditional network problems. However, the problem was eventually found after many hours of frustration and detective work. Meanwhile, continuous improvements are being made to our ball tracking behavior. The penalty shootout is also being improved, and work is being done on the Technical Challenge. Additionally, we have a dedicated sub-sub-team trying to automate the substitution of robots in case of errors since only 5 manual substitutions are allowed under the new rules.

 

FIRMWARE:

First, the firmware team implemented self-repairing behavior on the robots so that errors can be fixed on their own during the game without substitution. Currently, they are working with the electronics team to get the overheating under control by implementing more energy-efficient algorithms and systematically fixing problem sources.

RoboCup 2024: Arrival at Eindhoven

Posted on by

SATURDAY: 13.07.2024

Our journey was plagued by a police operation, confusion and delays by the DB, as well as the aforementioned train cancellations. For this reason, we arrived at the hotel around 5 PM, about an hour late. Despite everything, it was worlds better than the trip to Bordeaux. Conveniently, there was a restaurant right next door to feed 14 hungry ER-Force members after a 9-hour journey. After unpacking and setting up, we decided to unwind a bit and explore Eindhoven:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SUNDAY: 14.07.2024

At 9:30 AM, hunger was great, so we set out to find breakfast. Since most cafes were too expensive and the bakery had little to offer despite open doors, most of us ended up at McDonald’s, where we discussed the day’s plan and the status of the various sub-teams. Back at the hotel, things quickly got underway, and some were surprised to find it was already 5 PM and time for the Journal Club – the ETDP discussion of other teams. This took place in the same spot as in the morning, but it was much fuller now. After 2 hours of discussion and a filling dinner, we went straight back to work on the robots, which lasted for some until 12:30 AM:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MONDAY: 15.07.2024

Full of anticipation for the hall, the tournament, and a bit more space to work, we set off around 8:30 AM. While most of the team brought the equipment into the hall and set it up, a small group went to get essential snacks and breakfast. At first, there was concern about getting the badges for entry. They were only available in the paperless RoboCup against a signed piece of paper, and we didn’t have a printer in our hand luggage. However, the procedure was fairly quick and painless. By now, everyone is strengthened, and the work on the robots is in full swing.

Fun Fact: The site of the ETDP discussion also featured a statue of Frits Philips, the founder of the Philips company, who lived to be 100 years old and witnessed both world wars.