RoboCup: ER-Force vs. ZJUNlict

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At exactly 09:00 AM, the tournament continues with its second day, and our match ER-Force vs. ZJUNlict. After ZJUNlict arrived yesterday afternoon due to VISA issues, their first game against Immortals initially seemed as if they couldn’t match their previous performances in past tournaments. However, after their test match against TIGERs Mannheim in the evening, it was clear to everyone: Those were just initial hiccups, ZJUNlict is playing at a world-class level. Accordingly, we’re eagerly anticipating today’s match.

You can find the livestream of the game as usual on RoboTeam Twente’s YouTube platform, as well as at this link.

First Half

05:00 The game starts in half an hour. Currently, the field is being vacuumed to avoid any disturbances from lint. There’s little visibility of the lines on the field, but fortunately, this only affects humans: The robot software has already been calibrated to the lines before the tournament, so no further adjustments are needed.
05:00 A beetle just crawled into our Robot 2, but no one seems to care. Looks like the hardware still has a bug.
05:00 ER-Force is playing with their white robots as the yellow team, and ZJUNlict is the blue team.
05:00 The game is kicked off with a 23-minute delay.
04:59 And a timeout for ZJUNlict right away. They seem to be facing hardware issues.
04:15 At least the game is running. However, neither of the teams is shining currently. Both teams seem to be having some issues with the radio communication.
03:43 Attack on the Erlangen goal, but our goalkeeper can hold it.
03:36 Expected goal by ZJUNlict. Our goalkeeper seems to be having radio communication problems, as he’s not moving at all.
03:36 Timeout for ER-Force, looks like they’re replacing robots, probably hoping to improve the radio signal for the goalkeeper. The goal has personnel consequences: A new goalkeeper is brought in, the old one is now getting a talking-to. Additionally, the new goalkeeper is being tested thoroughly.
03:36 Actually, apparently no goal! The ball was shot too quickly, so lucky break for us!
02:58 Right now, the game seems to look better, ER-Force bots can actually attack. However, the shot on the opponent’s goal is saved by their keeper, a bit clumsy though.
02:30 Currently, the game is more in the half of ZJUNlict. There are even passes now.
01:54 Apparently, there’s another discussion with ZJUNlict, which is why the game is currently not continuing.
01:54 ZJUNlict seems to have used a challenge flag, meaning they have questioned the referee’s decision. Background: Since we messed up ball placement too many times, we’re not allowed to do any more ball placements, and ZJUNlict will handle all ball placements instead. If they succeed, they get to kick off in any case, even if they kicked the ball out, otherwise, the team that didn’t kick out will kick off. There were apparently incidents during the ball placement, which resulted in ZJUNlict receiving a yellow card. They are now disputing this decision.
01:22 ZJUNlict has collected enough fouls, so they now have a yellow card. This card is active for 2 minutes. During the yellow card period, the team can have one less robot than the normal limit (11). However, since both teams are currently only using 7 robots, the yellow card has no real impact.
00:59 Attack on the Erlangen goal, but the ball can be cleared via a corner kick.
00:12 Our robot actually wins a duel against ZJUNlict, which is a good performance given their drill-like dribbler. But the following attack goes nowhere because our robot can’t control the ball.
00:00 Halftime, it’s 0:0. Towards the end, the game became somewhat more interesting, although it still doesn’t reach the level of quality we hope for. Both teams still seem to have significant hardware issues.

Second Half

05:00 The second half starts with a timeout for ZJUNlict.
05:00 Good kick-off by ER-Force, unfortunately not further capitalized, so the ball is held by ZJUNlict.
04:35 By now, the game is somewhat fluid, although the real excitement is missing. Here and there, double passes can be seen, overall the robots are playing quite confidently again.
04:08 Robot 12 (Lasagne) is causing problems in our goal, so it’s taken out briefly but then placed back on the field.
04:01 Timeout by ZJUNlict. With this timeout, ZJUNlict has used up all their minutes, so they are not allowed to take any more timeouts until the end of the game. Each team gets 5 minutes of timeout during the game and can split these into 4 timeouts.
03:40 Very dangerous situation for us: A shot on goal by a ZJUNlict robot, and our goalkeeper doesn’t react. Luckily, the shot goes just wide of the goal, but that could have been the decision maker. Maybe we should put an old robot in goal?
03:07 Another attack on our goal, but this time it’s saved. How long can we hold on?
02:28 The game is dragging a bit, not much exciting happening at the moment.
01:23 Self-inflicted goal. Attack from the side, but fortunately, the ball stays in the penalty area. However, instead of chipping it away, our goalkeeper slowly rolls the ball into the mouth of an opposing goalkeeper, who gratefully accepts this gift and converts it into a goal.
ER-Force 0 : 1 ZJUNlict
01:15 Unbelievable! An own goal by us a few seconds later! ZJUNlict contributed to this, as they naively dribbled with their kicker instead of just chipping it away. This is how the own goal in yesterday’s game TIGERs vs. ZJUNlict happened: Keeper dribbles, loses the ball, and it rolls into the goal due to spin.
ER-Force 1 : 1 ZJUNlict
01:01 Just let it roll through, that was the motto of our robots. Instead of stopping the ball, it rolls past all our bots towards the goal, but at least our goalkeeper decides to clear it with a chip kick.
00:34 After the game had been dragging on for a few minutes, there’s now a successful counterattack by ZJUNlict following a throw-in by ER-Force. The ball rolls successfully into the goal, so it’s likely to be 2:0.
ER-Force 1 : 2 ZJUNlict
00:34 Apparently, the goal is still being discussed, as ZJUNlict might have dribbled too far, which would be against the rules. Funny thing: Our team isn’t discussing it; we seem to have already accepted the goal. The discussion is only between the referees. In the end, the goal is accepted.
00:21 Another shot on goal, but this time the ball is moving at 7 m/s, which is too fast. The maximum allowed is 6 m/s.
00:00 Thus, the game ends. It wasn’t really beautiful, but not as ugly as the two games yesterday either. There’s certainly still plenty of room for improvement.

RoboCup: Review 1. Match Day

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The day started rather disappointingly: Instead of a nice match to begin with, our game against the Iranian-German team, Immortals, was far from impressive. There are initially many reasons for this: Mechanical plates, in particular, keep breaking, leading to many robots malfunctioning.

However, by the next match, there will be improvements, making outages due to mechanical damage rarer. Instead, now the electronics are starting to fail: Motorboards are dying here and there. Additionally, the HBC radio is not working for unknown reasons. We’re sure something isn’t quite right in our software and firmware stackup. After all, the HBC radio worked brilliantly at the fair.

Nevertheless, the second game isn’t too impressive either, although somewhat better. Our hardware team is now idle as all hardware defects have been completely fixed, and the outages are solely due to the radio and hence our firmware. Accordingly, we’re assisting our Dutch friends, Twente, and trying to get their robots up and running.

In the end, we can finish the day with some good news: A firmware bug is found, causing radio issues. Once this is fixed, the radio performance significantly improves, although there are still some packet losses. Our firmware team is now going into the night shift to find more bugs in our own code. The rest of the team is emotionally preparing for tomorrow’s match against the formidable opponent, ZJUNlict.

ZJUNlict had a test match against TIGERs Mannheim in the evening and lost the game 1:0, which, against TIGERs Mannheim, is not only noteworthy but also resulted from a trivial and entirely avoidable own goal by the goalkeeper. Both teams were evenly matched, even though TIGERs seemed to have a slight edge subjectively.

Therefore, we’re already looking forward to our game tomorrow at 09:00 AM, concluding today’s reporting.

RoboCup: ZJUNlict vs. Immortals

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First Half

05:00 The game starts with a fifteen-minute delay, ZJUNlict in blue, Immortals in yellow.
03:08 Good shot on ZJUNlict’s goal, but the goalkeeper saves it.
02:40 Strong duels continue in ZJUNlict’s half. Overall, ZJUNlict is currently not meeting the performance expectations we had from their previous game quality.
01:55 Another powerful shot on ZJUNlict’s goal, again saved by the keeper.
00:55 For a change, an attack by ZJUNlict, but the Immortals’ goalkeeper makes the save.
00:44 Another beautiful attack on ZJUNlict’s goal.
00:00 And thus, the first half comes to an end. Looking back, it’s clear that the game was dominated by Immortals, and ZJUNlict has significantly declined since their last tournament participation.

Second Half

05:00 And so, the second half continues without changing sides or colors.
04:49 Attack on ZJUNlict’s goal, but the goalkeeper defends.
03:47 Minor duels in the vicinity of ZJUNlict’s penalty area, but without results.
03:10 Nice ball duels with no interruptions. But everything has an end, and the ball finally ends up in ZJUNlict’s goal out of bounds.
02:52 Very nice play across the entire field. Close passes to the sidelines, but the robots handle it well. Initially an attack by ZJUNlict on Immortals, but then the tables turn, and there’s almost a goal for Immortals! Fortunately for ZJUNlict, the ball is cleared out of bounds.
00:45 The second half is meandering along. No real attacks, the ball is sometimes in ZJUNlict’s half, sometimes in Immortals’, but it always ends up out of bounds instead of leading to a goal attempt.
00:30 Immortals shoots the ball over the sideline boards. Also, screws are occasionally found on the field, likely from Immortals.
-00:07 A final hot attack, indeed from ZJUNlict, after a pass from one side of the field to the other. But the goalkeeper makes the save, and the game ends 0:0.

RoboCup: TIGERs Mannheim vs. RoboDragons

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The fourth match of the day between TIGERs Mannheim and RoboDragons is about to start. Given that RoboDragons have already demonstrated solid soccer skills, and no one would dare to doubt the abilities of TIGERs Mannheim, we can expect a very entertaining, albeit likely quite one-sided, match.

You can find the live stream of the game as always on the YouTube channel of RoboTeam Twente or directly at this link.

First Half

05:00 The game starts with only a 2-minute delay. TIGERs has 11 robots on the field, while RoboDragons have only 8.
04:48 Not even fully into the game yet, TIGERs Mannheim scores the first goal against their opponents, as expected.
TIGERs Mannheim 1 : 0 RoboDragons
04:29 The game already gives the impression that TIGERs is more playing with their opponents rather than seriously fighting.
03:31 After a very long and beautiful passing game where the RoboDragons’ robots don’t get a chance, TIGERs Mannheim scores the second goal.
TIGERs Mannheim 2 : 0 RoboDragons
02:51 And again, the chants of a Mannheim goal scorer echo through the hall: TIGERs goes for 3:0.
TIGERs Mannheim 3 : 0 RoboDragons
02:08 Counterattack by TIGERs Mannheim after a failed RoboDragons attack, but the Dragons’ keeper makes the save!
01:50 Indeed, Mannheim also has to temporarily take a robot off the field, although this only lasts for 20 seconds.
01:28 Another failed attack by TIGERs Mannheim. Are the RoboDragons slowly getting into the game? We don’t think so.
01:21 And here’s the proof that it’s probably more luck than strategy: TIGERs increases the score to 4:0
TIGERs Mannheim 4 : 0 RoboDragons
01:21 Quick timeout by RoboDragons. However, the problem seems to be quickly fixed.
00:29 Attack by TIGERs, but the RoboDragons’ bots defend valiantly, sending the ball out of bounds.
00:19 Especially in ball placements, you can see the clear differences between the robots of the two teams: While TIGERs’ robots dance around the ball as if they were born with it, the other robots visibly struggle to control the ball.
-00:17 With a final beautiful attack by TIGERs Mannheim, naturally concluded with a goal, the robots head into halftime. Overall, an extremely fluid game (as evidenced by the total game time of only 16 minutes), very enjoyable to watch, albeit as expected, quite one-sided.
TIGERs Mannheim 5 : 0 RoboDragons

Second Half

05:00 The second half kicks off.
04:48 And another goal is already scored. Seems like TIGERs have more than enough energy to continue playing as they did in the first half.
TIGERs Mannheim 6 : 0 RoboDragons
04:35 Shot on goal by RoboDragons, but the goalkeeper saves it, or does he? TIGERs comes back with a second attack that the opponent can’t handle anymore. So a goal is finally scored, and it’s 7:0 for TIGERs.
TIGERs Mannheim 7 : 0 RoboDragons
03:05 Another goal for TIGERs Mannheim.
TIGERs Mannheim 8 : 0 RoboDragons
02:57 And again… However, the TIGERs robots, seemingly not too challenged, are now attacking the referee out of boredom.
TIGERs Mannheim 9 : 0 RoboDragons
02:19 The RoboDragons’ robots are slowly becoming desperate: Some crash into the wall, others just wander aimlessly. But one of the robots did manage to win a duel against TIGERs. A milestone.
01:57 And with that, the final goal of this match is scored. TIGERs Mannheim wins decisively, 10:0 against RoboDragons.
TIGERs Mannheim 10 : 0 RoboDragons
00:00 With a more than deserved victory, TIGERs Mannheim bids farewell to the evening with their typical victory dances.

RoboCup: ER-Force vs. KIKS

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Now, the second game ER-Force vs. KIKS starts.

First Half

05:00 The third match of the day between ER-Force and KIKS starts with a 25-minute delay. We play as the blue team with white covers, while KIKS is the yellow team with black covers.
03:29 Surprisingly, the game is flowing relatively smoothly compared to our first match. However, our fleet is diminishing. We started with 9 robots, but now we’re down to only 4.
02:52 Many dangerous situations in our half. Overall, the game is playing out much more in our half than in the opponent’s half.
02:26 Almost a goal against us! Good pass from a KIKS robot to its teammate, who shoots towards the empty goal, but misses!
02:08 After many other dangerous situations, ER-Force calls a timeout.
02:08 KIKS follows ER-Force’s timeout with a timeout of their own, significantly delaying the game.
01:49 Almost a goal by us! Our robot kicks across the field toward the opponent’s goal, the entire defense is open, but the goalkeeper makes the save.
00:31 The game is meandering along. Not many major actions on both sides.
00:24 Almost a goal against us! But the ball was moving at 8.4 m/s, significantly faster than the allowed 6 m/s.
00:15 Another dangerous situation. Our ER-Force bots are shaking their heads in frustration.
00:00 Half-time, finally. The first half was clearly dominated by KIKS, with no signs of the performance of a vice world champion. We need to step up, or we might get eliminated in the group stage!

Second Half

05:00 The game continues. The teams have swapped jersey colors at half-time: ER-Force is now yellow, and KIKS is blue.
04:09 At least we got closer to the goal, even though we didn’t capitalize on it: The pass into the opponent’s half sails past our robot, and it shows no inclination to change that.
02:22 Another shot on goal by KIKS, but our keeper makes the save.
01:50 Another shot on our goal, but again, no goal this time.
00:36 And yet another unsuccessful shot on our goal.
00:00 Objectively, the game ends in an undeserved 0-0 draw. In summary, we were very lucky. While we could defend the last match against Immortals with our current poor performance, we would have systematically lost this game if it had gone into overtime.

It appears that the issues with our robots are currently quite diverse:

  • The HBC radio communication doesn’t seem to be working properly. Everything seems fine during the practice slots when we have the field to ourselves, but as soon as a real game is played, the radio signal deteriorates significantly. It’s actually the radio communication, not the control system as previously thought, responsible for the overshooting of the robots and the breakdown of the lanes. Our suspicion is that we’re doing something wrong in the firmware and/or software since the HBC radio has proven to be extremely robust and practically indestructible in our experience.
  • The “battery cages,” which are the mechanical components that stabilize the battery in the robot, regularly break completely. These were designed for much lower forces, but the batteries are causing significantly higher forces during braking and crashes.
  • The motor boards, which are the boards responsible for controlling each motor, frequently fail when powered on. This issue has been known for a while, but the boards are remnants from the semiconductor crisis, meaning they are a patchwork of components that were available back then and are so expensive that we can’t afford to make new ones.
  • The tachometers often give nonsensical readings. This is likely because they are only supported on one side, causing them to vibrate during driving.
  • The current measurements sometimes return nonsensical values, causing the motor control based on them to only partially regulate the motor.

All in all, there are quite a few challenges that we need to address.