Less than a year ago, Roboteam Twente started off with just an idea and the ambition to go on a new adventure. Last week, the team presented the robots that will compete in the Robot Soccer World Cup later this month.
Roboteam Twente recently succeeded in qualifying for the world championships in Nagoya (Japan), which will be held later this month. An impressive achievement, given the fact that the team has only been working on the project for a year and began from scratch. At a rapid pace, a team was built from people representing various disciplines, funding was collected and a robot football team was developed that could hold its own against the best teams in the world. In just over three weeks' time, the RoboTeam will travel to Japan to compete against robot football teams from all over the world.
Courageous choices
The new RoboTeam has approached various areas differently than existing robot football teams, in terms of both software and hardware. Literally every detail was the subject of hours and hours of research, such as the dribbling system, shooting system and the electronic controls.
The wheels, for example, were developed entirely in-house, with specific features for additional grip and lower roll friction. They have also been positioned further forward, which increases acceleration.
Artificial intelligence
Another important part is the software, the artificial intelligence of the football team. This is another area in which the team has distinguished itself from the other teams, choosing to use so-called behaviour trees, a graphical method for programming decision structures. This makes it possible for non-programmers to implement robot football tactics.
Roboteam Twente also uses ROS, a robotic operating system that is currently making waves in the business world. Heatmaps are used to determine open positions in the field, so the computer on the sideline can automatically determine where to position the robots at any given time.
The ultimate practical test
During the World Cup, it will become clear how succesful the team's innovations truly are, as they compete against other elite teams. Starting from July 25, the team will report their activities at the world cup and stream all the matches live. To find out more, visit Roboteam Twente's website and Facebook page.
