Category Archives: RoboDragons

RoboCup 2024: Review

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Tournament

In our Division A of the Small Size League of RoboCup this year, nine teams from five countries competed against each other. A special feature was the two newcomers RobôCIn and luhbots, who this year made the step from Division B to a larger field and more robots in Division A. After three setup days, the teams first competed in a 4-team and 5-team group during the two group match days. The top three teams from each group then advanced to the knockout phase over the next two match days. By securing second place in our group, we were able to secure a good starting position here. In the double elimination mode, the respective group winners and runners-up could each lose once without being eliminated from the tournament. Thanks to our good performances on the field, we managed to secure a solid third place for our team despite many games in the lower bracket. Second place went to the Chinese team ZJUNlict and the current and past world champion is TIGERs Mannheim. A special mention should definitely go to the two new teams who managed to play exciting and balanced games against long-standing Division A teams almost right from the start. Particularly, the fourth place of RobôCIn is an extremely strong performance. At this point, we would also like to expressly thank luhbots, Immortals, RoboTeam Twente, RobôCIn, and TIGERs Mannheim for their help and extraordinary commitment to the league. This is by no means a matter of course.

 

Our Team in the Tournament

For us, the RoboCup started off quite bumpy again, and the first fears arose that we might experience a similar disaster to 2023 in Bordeaux. Fortunately, this was not the case. Instead, we managed to solve individual problems step by step. During the setup days and our first game, we still struggled considerably with our radio system and the control of the robots. But by the second game, we were already capable of fielding 11 robots. Nonetheless, we refrained from doing so in the group phase and fielded 8 robots each time. This was mainly because we were still plagued by overheating issues, and substitute robots were therefore extremely valuable.

For the knockout stage, we took a bold step and removed unnecessary parts from the module connector PCB and equipped our motor boards with heat sinks. Together with a relentless hunt for individual faulty robot components, we were able to increase the reliability of our fleet so that we could permanently field 11 robots in the knockout phase. This is a strong performance by the entire team, and we are excited about what the future holds with the now fully functional robots. Thus, we can conclude this RoboCup, tired from the strenuous days, but satisfied with our progress and success.

 

Betting Game

A novelty this year was the betting game we organized for RoboCup 2024. Just like in conventional football, bets could be placed on individual games, the outcome of the group phase, and the overall tournament. The most points were collected by our team members Michi and Mike, who stayed at home. Due to the great support from other teams, we plan to set up an official betting game for RoboCup next year.

 

Impressions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RoboCup 2025

Now that RoboCup 2024 in Eindhoven has ended and all teams have departed, we look to the future. We look forward to an interesting year with many improvements and innovations in our strategy and robots, as well as visits from other teams. But of course, our main focus is on the next RoboCup 2025. It will take place from July 15 to July 21, 2025, in the Brazilian coastal city of Salvador. The first images of the location already make us excited for sun, warmth, and of course a RoboCup hall right next to one of Brazil’s beautiful beaches.

See you in Salvador!

 

RoboCup 2024: KnockOut Phase: RoboDragons vs. ER-Force

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Our next knockout phase game is against the Japanese team RoboDragons. Kickoff is currently scheduled for 3:00 PM. However, the previous match between RobôCIn and Immortals seems to be delayed. The game will likely start around 3:15 PM. The game setup is still ongoing. We are playing in blue.

First Half

5:00 Kickoff for RoboDragons and the ball is out of bounds. We are currently struggling with ball placement, narrowly succeeded. Duel in RoboDragons’ half. Another close ball placement. RoboDragons’ strategy has obviously crashed but it’s currently ball placement, so they can restart their strategy now in a timeout. We use this timeout to change a parameter, hoping to reduce collisions. RoboDragons take a long time to restart their strategy. We continue. Our number 4 obviously has a problem. We make a bot substitution. Ball placement on the midfield line for us.

4:00 We keep shooting towards the goal but the reception isn’t quite right yet. Corner kick. Chip over the defense and goal for us. The score is 1:0 for us. But some of our bots are causing problems.

3:30 Constant ball placements and we shoot directly at Dragons’ bots. Unfortunately, little progress in the game in this situation. Many ball placements, unfortunately, only moderately successful on both sides.

2:30 Intense duel in front of our penalty area. Luckily, we can save it. But we did not cover ourselves in glory. We need to take out two robots.

1:30 Ball placement. It is noticeable that the high temperature in the hall is not good for the robots, and we detect more overheating, so we currently have very few robots on the field. Right now, we have only 8 robots. Wrong decision by the referee. Dragons rightly contest a referee’s decision, the foul is overturned. We have more robots on the field again. Hopefully, problems won’t arise again so quickly. RoboDragons also occasionally commit double touch. Ball placement for us. This time we make it. Corner kick for Dragons. Fast and exciting game on both sides. Double touch on both sides. Corner kick for Dragons. Card spam from the autoref. The red card for Dragons should probably be overturned soon. Discussions at the referee’s table. The red card was justified.

Halftime. The second half begins with 8 vs. 10 robots in our favor due to many cards for Dragons.

Second Half:

5:00 RoboDragons partially switched to white shells, but the pattern color remains the same. We stumble in ball placement but still manage to make it. RoboDragons’ strategy crashes again. This time we take the chance and convert the shot, 2:0 for us.

4:30 Some unclear situations on the field. We take a short timeout to fix a few things. Corner kick for Dragons and it looked for a moment like they had no robot in the goal. Lots of hacking in front of our penalty area, but unfortunately, no real progress in the last few minutes.

4:00 We duel across the field but have to pass the ball into empty space just before the goal, as no situation arises. Dragons push us into their penalty area. The referee overturns the foul call again.

3:00 We make some dumb moves in front of our penalty area, but luckily nothing happens. Fortunately, we manage to commit far fewer collisions in this game.

2:00 RoboDragons are once again not moving, but the ball placement and the free kick could go to us. However, it looks like we won’t make the ball placement either.

What is our keeper doing there? That was almost an own goal. Luckily, it went well and the ball rolled out of bounds. Our timeout is not properly accepted. The autorefs do not see an out, but our referees are luckily on the ball. It is noticeable that the vision at the tournament is not as good this time. Unfortunately, the current game is dragging a bit.

1:00 One of our robots loses a duel because it doesn’t shoot properly. We take it out at the next opportunity. RoboDragons commit many fouls and have to take out another robot. The ball rolls over the field a few more times and time is up. We win this game 2:0 and will play next tonight at 6:30 PM against RobôCIn.

RoboCup Eindhoven: Arrival

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After nearly a year, it’s finally time again: RoboCup 2024 is here, this year in the Dutch city of Eindhoven! Teams from all over the world and various leagues are currently traveling and will all try to claim first place in their respective leagues!

Of course, our team is also ready to go, and this morning 14 students from our team boarded a train in Nuremberg heading to Essen. What they didn’t know at the time: The train in Düsseldorf that would take them to Venlo doesn’t exist. This brings back memories of a popular meme from last year:

So, our travel group will likely arrive at the hotel in Eindhoven with an estimated delay of one hour and begin to take over the hotel rooms and floors for us and our robots. Starting next week, our team will be allowed into the hall!

By the way: Besides us, this year’s Division A will also feature teams ZJUNlict (China), KIKS (Japan), RoboCîn (Brazil), luhbots (Germany), TIGERs Mannheim (reigning world champion, Germany), Immortals (Germany), RoboDragons (Japan), and RoboTeam Twente (Netherlands). From experience, TIGERs Mannheim, ZJUNlict, and Immortals are particularly strong teams that we need to surpass!

RoboCup: RoboTeam Twente vs. RoboDragons

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The second match of the day is between the two teams RoboTeam Twente and RoboDragons. We have high hopes for a strong performance from Twente, especially since they were able to test their robots and fix bugs at the RoboCup Crailsheim, which we organized in cooperation with Gerhard Schubert at the end of March.

Since the composition of the Twente team changes completely every year, such a “pre-tournament” is immensely helpful as a dress rehearsal for the new team before the actual RoboCup. This is also the reason why Twente traditionally has moderate results in the early games of each year but improves significantly as they progress.

It’s worth mentioning that the construction and completion of the Twente robots have now become a league-wide effort: Just yesterday, a member of the mechanical team from TIGERs Mannheim helped Twente assemble two robots, and we have already provided them with several crucial components and even taken on soldering tasks for them. Regardless of being competitors, sportsmanship and friendship prevail.

Given that our bottlenecks currently lie more within other teams, our hardware teams are somewhat in idle mode. It’s all the more rewarding when you can assist another team in creating an exciting tournament.

First Half

05:00 The game seems to be starting with a significant delay. Twente appears to be facing some issues. At least their robot R2D2 seems to be having a lot of fun, spinning in circles, colliding with the barriers, and driving across the field as if it’s intoxicated.
05:00 The match is now beginning with a 15-minute delay. Twente hasn’t completely resolved all their problems but was forced to start by the tournament organizers. RoboDragons have the kickoff.
05:00 Twente seems to be playing with 4 of their robots, while RoboDragons have 8. The allowance is 11 robots per team. Twente’s bots are purple, and RoboDragons’ are black.
04:55 Goal for RoboDragons within seconds of the game. Currently, Twente doesn’t even have a goalkeeper in the goal, either because they have too few robots or their software isn’t functioning properly, and the goalkeeper isn’t in position.
RoboTeam Twente 0 : 1 RoboDragons
04:24 The game is quite leisurely, but at least there’s action, unlike the previous match. RoboDragons attempt a goal, but the Twente keeper makes the save.
04:04 Neither team is getting ball placements right: While Twente is struggling on the tactical level, the dribbler of RoboDragons is too weak to control the ball effectively. Overall, RoboDragons seems to have a better handle on things.
03:45 RoboDragons call a timeout.
03:08 The automatic referee often decides on “No Progress,” indicating that the game situation hasn’t noticeably changed for at least 5 seconds. Combined with the sluggish ball placements, the game is a bit slow but still faster than our previous match.
02:34 Shot on goal by a RoboDragons bot, but the Twente keeper saves again.
02:27 But this time: A goal from the side by RoboDragons.
RoboTeam Twente 0 : 2 RoboDragons
02:16 Almost a goal by Twente! However, the robot touched the ball twice in a row during the kickoff, resulting in a so-called double touch, and the game was stopped earlier.
02:08 RoboDragons immediately respond with a shot on the Dutch goal, but the ball rolls past.
01:57 But this time: RoboDragons score, making it 3-0.
RoboTeam Twente 0 : 3 RoboDragons
00:31 Very fluid but slow-paced game. Nicely finished with a goal from RoboDragons at a sharp angle. RoboDragons clearly dominating the game.
RoboTeam Twente 0 : 4 RoboDragons
00:12 Immediately a double goal by RoboDragons. But, of course, only 1 goal counts, extending their lead to 5 goals.
RoboTeam Twente 0 : 5 RoboDragons
00:00 And that concludes the first half with RoboDragons leading 5-0 during the 5-minute halftime break.

Second Half

02:51 Another goal by RoboDragons. The Twente keeper was bystander as the ball rolled into the goal.
RoboTeam Twente 0 : 8 RoboDragons