Students are sitting at the Martin Schmeisser Square in the summer © Roland Baege​/​TU Dortmund
Humanoid Robots

Robot Soccer: TU Team Becomes Vice World Champion

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Photo: Members of the Nao Devils (TU Dortmund) and HTWK Robots (HTWK Leipzig) research teams hold banners in their hands and cheerfully raise their fists in the air. In front of the white banners stand approximately 1.30-meter-tall humanoid robots in red and blue jerseys, who also raise their arms in celebration. The group is standing on a green grass field in a large indoor stadium with packed stands. © Nao Devils
The Nao Devils and HTWK Robots are delighted with their success at the first World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing.
From 13 to 17 August, the first World Humanoid Robot Games took place in Beijing. Robots from 280 teams competed in 26 different disciplines. Among them were TU Dortmund University’s Nao Devils, who teamed up with the HTWK Robots from Leipzig University of Applied Sciences (HTWK Leipzig). Together, the cross-university team reached the finals and became vice world champion in robot soccer.

In total, teams from 16 countries competed. In addition to sports disciplines such as soccer, martial arts, and track and field, the program also included competitions in sorting medication and cleaning – giving robots a chance to demonstrate their abilities. While most teams came from host country China, international participants from countries such as Australia, Italy, and the Netherlands also took part.

TU Dortmund University was represented by a group of researchers and students from the Departments of Computer Science and of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology. For the TU team, the championship was their first competition using humanoid robots 1.30 meters tall. Previously, the Nao Devils had competed with smaller robots about 60 centimeters tall. The robots for the tournament were provided by the organizer. However, how each robot moved, processed data, and responded to what its camera detected was programmed by the teams. Using code and algorithms, they determined how the robots would walk, score goals, or avoid obstacles.

Together with their colleagues from the HTWK Robots – who already had experience with large robots – TU Dortmund University formed what was called a “superteam” in Beijing. The HTWK Robots contributed existing code, which TU researchers supplemented and refined. The universities successfully combined their expertise: the team advanced through the preliminaries and was among the 16 squads that qualified for the official robot soccer competition. Without conceding a single goal, their robots played their way to the final. There, however, the cross-university team was defeated by the team from Tsinghua University in Beijing and thus secured second place.

Photo: Three robots in red and blue jerseys are playing soccer. The robot in the blue jersey is preparing to shoot. © Nao Devils

How Soccer Robots Are Used in Research

For scientists, competitions with humanoid robots are about much more than soccer. “Research topics in the field of humanoid robots are tested for robustness through soccer, with the goal of applying the developed algorithms more generally,” explains Diana Kleingarn, a researcher at the Chair of Data Processing Systems in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology. For example, robot soccer is well-suited for testing algorithms in audio processing or sensor technology.

The soccer robots can also provide valuable data in the field of image processing. Insights into how humanoid soccer robots capture and process visual information can be applied to the development of autonomous cars or lane departure warning systems. Just as the robots recognize lines or obstacles on the field, such systems can identify lane markings or hazards, warning drivers before they unintentionally leave their lane or before a pedestrian crosses their path.

Furter information on the Nao Devils

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