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Team RO-PE @ Japan
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 RoboCup 2005 Japan
reported by Wilson Aw
RoboCup is an annual robot competition which showcases the very best of robots built by various international tertiary institutions through the globally-recognised game of soccer. Two humanoid robots, named ROPE III and IV, were the representatives for NUS in RoboCup 2005.
The RoboCup 2005 was held at the Intex Osaka from Jul 13-19. In this competition, there are many different types of contest, ranging from soccer to rescue simulation to junior games. More than 330 teams from 31 countries participated in the largest RoboCup event ever held.
(top) Team RO-PE at Osaka, Japan |
Team ROPE in Japan
Both RO-PE III and IV participated in the kid-sized humanoid soccer league.
The games to be played in this league were the penalty-kick (PK) contest, technical challenge and the 2-vs-2 match-ups.
The results of the PK contest, technical challenge and 2-vs-2 matches played during the competition can be found in the RoboCup website (click here)
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Performance
This was the second RoboCup competition for Team RO-PE.
PK contest and 2-vs-2 matches:
In these two contests, the rules mirror that of real-life human soccer according to the FIFA rules. We sent out ROPE III as the goalkeeper and ROPE IV as the striker.
We did very well in the PK contest, reaching the final and eventually finishing as runners-up.
In the 2-vs-2 matches, we managed to reach the semi-finals of this contest and finished fourth. This was the first time the game is played in the RoboCup and so was a challenging event for most teams.
We finished THIRD OVERALL in our category, beating many established teams along the way. |
(top) Samuel looks on as RO-PE IV takes on Phoenix |
RO-PE III
RO-PE III runs on a PC-104 processor with a hard disk in the form of a compact flash (CF) card. It is capable of running operating systems (OS) such as Windows and Linux, but is limited by the memory size of the CF card. All motions are autonomous, which means that it reacts according to the feedback from the sensors. More information about RO-PE III can be found at the profile page (click here).
With its 18 degrees of freedom (DOF), RO-PE III is capable of walking, turning and kicking.
In this RoboCup, it played the role of the goalkeeper for the PK and 2-vs-2 matches, where it dived and saved many shots from our opponents. In the technical challenge, it showcased its walking abilities and sensor accuracy by completing 90% of the obstacle course. Reliable vision systems and motion algorithms are the strengths of ROPE III.
RO-PE IV
RO-PE IV operates on a microcontroller, which is essentially a small Atmel AVR chip that can be hidden by a human thumb! The advantage is obviously the light weight, which gives the robot a major physical advantage in terms of the speed of walking. Like all RO-PE robots, its motions are autonomous as well. More information about ROPE III can be found at the profile page (click here).
RO-PE IV has 22 DOF and is capable of walking, turning, kicking and has the potential to get up autonomously. In this RoboCup, it played the role of the striker for the PK and 2-vs-2 matches. It certainly outgunned many other robots by finishing as the 3rd top scorer with 10 goals in competition.
A robust mechanical design and a unique walking algorithm are the main strengths of RO-PE IV.
Team RO-PE 2005
We would like to hereby accredit the efforts and diligence of the members of Team RO-PE. Also, we will not forget the efforts of the other members in Team RO-PE who did not make the trip to Osaka.
Dr Chew Chee Meng
Mr Feng Kai
Mr Teo Kwang Chin
Mr Samuel Mui
Mr David Ho
Mr Wilson Aw
Mr Tan Too Kok
Mr Andrew Tan |
