Home with the runner-up title in the bag
Participating in RoboCup is an exciting and enriching experience for everyone involved. RoboCup returned to Eindhoven, the Netherlands, in 2024 after exactly 11 years. With more than 2,000 participants from 45 countries in 300 teams and more than 50,000 visitors, RoboCup was an important global event in the robotics scene.
Team robOTTO at the RoboCup in Eindhoven (Photo: privat)
Among the many talented teams, the robOTTO team from our university (in German) stood out in the Industrial category in the @Work league. This league places high demands on the participating robots, which have to navigate autonomously in a 10 x 10 meter arena in order to recognize and grasp objects and transport them to specified locations. The arena is equipped with 0 to 15 cm high tables, walls and obstacles that restrict the robots' freedom of movement.
The challenges of the @Work league lie not only in precise navigation and path planning, but also in stable object recognition using well-trained neural networks. The robots must be able to plan alternative routes if the path is blocked by obstacles and recognize objects on different surfaces such as reflective foils or deceptive patterns. All of these tasks must be completed within a specified time, which puts the robots' speed and efficiency to the test.
Team robOTTO, which has been represented in the league since 2015, consisted of four OVGU employees and two students this year, who are affectionately known as the “OTTOs” by the other teams. Their robot “Euler” once again demonstrated its skills in safe and fast navigation as well as in recognizing and handling objects, even on difficult surfaces. The team mastered particularly challenging tasks, such as gripping objects under a shelf, with flying colors.
Robot “Euler” demonstrated its capabilities once again (Photo: privat)
It was an exciting neck-and-neck race with the SWOT team from Schweinfurt and the b-it-bots team from Bonn. In the end, team robOTTO took second place and proudly took the runner-up title home to Magdeburg. First place went to Team SWOT, which beat the competition with its superior hardware, while Team b-it-bots took third place.
Engagement far beyond the competition
However, robOTTO's commitment goes beyond the competition. For many years, the team has been significantly involved in the organization and further development of the @Work League and has the most active members on the league committee.
The robOTTO team is also actively involved in STEM education for young people. The team regularly inspires school classes and teachers with age-appropriate offers and practical application examples on mathematical and physical topics at the MINTMachen-Festival of the Magdeburg MINT Cluster MagdeMINT.
By regularly participating in public science events in the city of Magdeburg, such as the Tomorrow Labs Festival and the Long Night of Science, the robOTTO team engages in science communication in the field of robotics to get young and old interested in this future-oriented topic and to demonstrate the wide range of opportunities at our university.
The current competition has clearly shown that the team's hardware, which is over 10 years old, is in urgent need of a long overdue upgrade. Otherwise, second or even first place next year is no longer realistic. The robOTTO team is therefore currently looking for interested sponsors, particularly from the industry.
The team is also looking for committed young talent. All university students, regardless of faculty, can take part. The only requirement is enthusiasm and interest in robotics as well as a willingness to familiarize themselves with new topics. The team teaches interested students everything else.
The success and commitment of robOTTO at RoboCup 2024 are impressive proof of the team's outstanding work and the progressive research and education at our university.