Category Archives: TIGERs Mannheim

RoboCup German Open 2025: ER-Force vs. TIGERs Mannheim

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Now the time has finally come: The final match of the German Open will take place this Sunday at 12:30 PM between our team and the TIGERs Mannheim. After we were able to hold our ground quite well against the Mannheim team during this tournament, we can expect an exciting game here!

First Half

05:00 Both teams are preparing for the match. Our team is playing as the yellow team with—believe it or not—ELEVEN robots, while the TIGERs are in blue, of course, also with 11 robots.
05:00 The match kicks off on time at 12:30 PM with a kickoff for TIGERs. But right away, a timeout for ER-Force due to issues with Ra and the radio connection.
03:56 There are intense duels between the ER-Force robots and those of TIGERs in our half. Our robots are giving it everything they’ve got. The result: One of our high-kick flaps goes flying through the air!
03:41 Another very tense situation right in front of our goal. The ball keeps getting passed back and forth between our defense and the attackers, but our defenders ultimately manage to defuse the situation!
03:06 After some maneuvers in the Mannheim half, they strike back with a counterattack, unfortunately resulting in a goal from the side!
ER-Force 0 : 1 TIGERs Mannheim
02:33 The dangerous situations continue, but our robots are defending bravely so far. Both teams now have a yellow card, meaning only 10 robots are allowed to play!
02:17 Very well cleared by our goalkeeper! A throw-in by TIGERs near our penalty area turns into a dangerous attack on our goal, but the goalkeeper confidently defends with a chip kick.
01:35 This time, a small attack from our robots, with some of our field players showing great skills. Unfortunately, it does not result in a dangerous situation for the Mannheim team.
00:46 Our team is not showing any weaknesses: They relentlessly block every attempt to attack our goal.
00:23 A nice attack from our robots on the TIGERs’ goal, although the finishing power is lacking. The subsequent counterattack from Mannheim is successfully intercepted by our defense.
-00:02 The last attack from Mannheim on our goal, but it doesn’t pose a real threat. With that, both teams head into the five-minute halftime break.

Second Half

05:00 Without switching sides, the second half begins with a kickoff by ER-Force. Will our team manage to equalize?
04:42 Strong defense by our goalkeeper! A powerful attack by TIGERs, but our goalkeeper clears the ball towards midfield!
04:37 But unfortunately, now: The immediate follow-up attack is successful, and TIGERs extend their lead to 2:0!
ER-Force 0 : 2 TIGERs Mannheim
03:46 The dominance of TIGERs is clearly visible: The ball spends most of the time in our half. Nevertheless, we are holding our ground; despite the two conceded goals, our defense has been very strong so far!
02:56 Our defensive wall is rock solid: As soon as TIGERs find an opportunity for an attack, the wall closes in front of our goal and eliminates any danger.
02:22 A nice attack from our robots, but once again, we lack the finishing power to be truly dangerous!
01:43 What a scene in our penalty area! One attack on our goal after another, but with luck and relentless marking, we manage to prevent any further damage!
00:53 Our goalkeeper is as strong as ever and does not give up his goal easily! Unfortunately, we receive a red card after accumulating two active yellow cards and getting another one. A shame, as the first of these yellow cards would have expired in just four seconds.
-00:15 After one last effort and an incorrect interruption by the AI referee, the game finally ends 2:0 in favor of Mannheim.

Looking back, this match was a beautiful showcase of the current state of the Small Size League. In a very fluid game, both teams demonstrated their skills brilliantly.

Although TIGERs Mannheim dominated the match throughout, we still managed to launch attacks from time to time and defended even harder. As a result, we are still very satisfied with the outcome and take away many insights and opportunities for improvement for the next tournament, which will take place next week in Crailsheim!

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: Knock-out Phase: TIGERs vs. ER-Force

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At 11:30 AM, we will play our first knockout phase game against TIGERs Mannheim. TIGERs won the RoboCup last year and have dominated all their games in this tournament so far. We expect a strong and challenging opponent. TIGERs play with a blue pattern color and their white shells. We play as the yellow team and have decided to remove the shell inlays due to heat issues. Therefore, our shells are translucent. RoboTeam Twente is streaming the game again with commentary. A special highlight in this game will be our robot handling. Dino from our mechanics team will be managing this in her dinosaur costume.

Both teams are getting ready. We currently have 13 functional robots. Hopefully, they will last as long as possible.

First Half:

5:00 Kickoff for TIGERs and we are competing well across the field, even managing to push the ball into TIGERs’ half.

4:30 Ball placement in TIGERs’ corner, but somehow it was assigned to TIGERs. Strongly parried by our defense and keeper. So far, we are seeing a balanced match, only slightly dominated by TIGERs. Both teams can place the balls very well, but unfortunately, we still stumble over some of our kicks. That’s unfortunate.

3:30 Many dangerous corners from TIGERs in front of our goal. But so far, we are holding up very well.

3:00 All our robots are still running. Shot on goal for TIGERs and converted. The score is 0:1. We have kickoff, stumble with the ball. Now we have to take a robot off, which is Dino’s entry. But TIGERs also commit a foul, so we are now playing 10 robots against 10. We need to free one of our robots in a timeout. So far, the game looks very good, considering how strongly TIGERs have dominated other opponents.

2:00 Another goal for TIGERs, 0:2. Their passing game is simply outstanding, allowing them to get past our defense.

1:00 Some crashes on our side, as our robots are still not driving precisely despite the new regulation. Therefore, we get another yellow card. TIGERs have a kickoff in our half, and we have to take another robot off beforehand. Unfortunately, our regulation still swings too much, and we keep collecting yellow cards, so we now have to play 10 robots against 11 permanently with a red card. It’s a shame, but the regulation has only been in place for a few games, and there are still some timing issues. Corner for TIGERs.

Nice chip from us. We are competing very well and even manage to take the ball from TIGERs a few times. End of the first half. During the halftime break, we need to cool down our robots again.

Second Half:

5:00 Kickoff for us, but unfortunately, we stumble again. Immensely good passing game for TIGERs across the field. Another goal for TIGERs, making it 0:3. Despite everything, we keep fighting bravely and defending as best as we can.

4:00 We produce another collision, but luckily our previous yellow card had already expired, and we didn’t get another red card.

3:30 The numerical disadvantage is very noticeable. TIGERs dominate and score another goal, making it 0:5.

3:00 Another goal for TIGERs. Our robots were clearly in the wrong position. Unfortunately, we keep missing our kicks and giving them away to TIGERs. Occasionally, our robots are also too fast, so we collect card after card. The score is 0:7.

2:00 Another corner for TIGERs. With our significant numerical disadvantage, the game is increasingly turning in favor of TIGERs. The score is 0:8. The next goal will end the game.

1:00 We have a kickoff in our half and bring the ball directly to TIGERs, where they immediately dominate again. They dribble freely and score another goal, 0:9. Can we hold on for the last few seconds of the game? Yes, we can. We are not defeated 0:10 by TIGERs. Considering TIGERs’ dominance and our significant numerical disadvantage, this is an acceptable result. TIGERs show off their victory moves, but our robots interfere a bit, causing some laughs among the spectators and team members.

We will play next at 3:00 PM against RoboDragons.

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

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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: 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!