Please note: While we try to always keep the English blog up-to date, there might be some delay regarding when a German blog post gets translated. Also, articles prior to RoboCup 2022 do not have English translations. To see those articles in German, please switch to the German blog.
Robotics Erlangen Trailer
Featured
RoboCup 2025 Schedule
Day 1 – Thursday, July 17:
Time (CEST) Game Phase Result
9am (2pm) TIGERs vs ER-Force G1 10-0
Day 2 – Friday, July 18:
Time (CEST) Game Phase Result
9am (2pm) RoboDragons vs ER-Force G1 0-0
12am (5pm) ZJUNIict vs ER-Force G1 1-0
6:30pm (11:30pm) RoboCin vs ER-Force G1 0-0
Day 3 – Saturday, July 19:
Time (CEST) Game Phase Result
9am (2pm) TIGERs vs ER-Force Upper 1.1 5-0
12am (5pm) RoboDragons vs ER-Force Lower 2.1 4-3
Day 7 – The End in Penalty Shootout
How does a tournament day start? Just like any other: breakfast – more swallowed than enjoyed – grab your bag, step into your shoes, and head off to the venue. At this point, we could walk the route in our sleep. Still, the mood was good – full of energy, because the first match of the day was coming up. Focus on, tunnel vision engaged, everything aligned for the match against TIGERs Mannheim.
ER-Force vs TIGERs
And the match? Surprisingly solid. Sure, we lost 0:5 – but that score doesn’t tell the full story. We played way better than in our first game against them. Managed some real attacks on their goal, had much more presence in their half. Overall, it felt structured, stable, clean. A huge improvement – and it showed.
Then about two hours until the next match. A proper team meeting: what worked, what didn’t, who’s doing what. Then we got to work. The venue was as hectic as ever – people fixing, coding, testing. The match before ours – ZJUNlict vs RoboCin – ran long, so we didn’t get on the field until right before kickoff.
The game against RoboDragons was tough but intense. We took an early 1:0 lead – quick moment of hope. Then the equalizer: 1:1 due to an own goal. A chip bounced off our own centerback and deflected straight toward the goal. It happens. The match went into overtime – and eventually to a penalty shootout. Sadly, we lost.
Naturally, the mood after that was subdued. No one really knew what went wrong. We had barely changed anything since the last match. One possible explanation: maybe the vision system was adjusted for another team’s robots at some point and never switched back. Whether that was the reason? Hard to say. But that’s part of the game – learning to deal with stuff like that.
The rest of the evening was more relaxed. We watched some matches, chatted with other teams, repaired a few things here and there. And then, of course: the open TC/OC meeting – another late night in the hall until 10 PM.
ER-Force vs RoboDragons
Some ended the day with a walk on the beach, others crashed straight into bed – completely wiped.
Day 5 – Early Start, Lots of Stress, and Broken Encoders
After a good breakfast, we headed out a bit earlier than yesterday – since yesterday we arrived too late at the hall. This time we were on time, and the stress kicked in right away: charging batteries, calibrating robots, prepping covers, testing encoders… At 9 a.m. (local BRA time), we already had our first match against TIGERs.
Overall, the game went okay – especially the first half. Even though we were down 4:0 at that point, as our first match of the tournament, and against the TIGERs no less, it was a solid start. Particularly frustrating: in the last 45 seconds of the second half, we conceded three more goals. Ouch.
In the team meeting afterward, it quickly became clear: our encoders were causing trouble. Untested battery and encoder mounts had damaged some cables, which led to faulty data. Some voltage levels (3.3V) also dropped intermittently – another encoder issue. On top of that, we were getting frequent fouls during kickoffs.
Our quick (and pretty much only) solution: we heavily reinforced the broken encoder cables with duct tape. That was all we could do, since we only brought a limited number of spare parts. The electronics crew is now trying to recycle broken encoders and build new ones from the parts.
The rest of the day was filled with fixing, testing, and more fixing – but it paid off. We made noticeable progress and even took on our first official roles in the group stage.
One highlight: We got to use HWTK’s gimbal and managed to shoot some pretty cool clips of daily team life. There might be a little video coming soon!
As always in the evening: everyone on the team shares what went well and what didn’t. After that, another team meeting to get everyone up to speed. We also put together a game plan for tomorrow – it’s going to be intense: three matches, two ref duties. Pure stress.
Oh, and the betting game is back on too! Let’s see who’s got the best gut feeling this year.
Day 4 – Frustration and Progress
ER-Force on their way to the venue
The day started, as usual, with a hearty breakfast – a small ritual that brings some structure to the morning. Afterwards, we walked to the venue along the beach, enjoying a brief moment of calm before things got intense. Once inside the hall, everyone immediately got to work – the task distribution had already been set during the previous evening’s team meeting. Whether charging batteries, calibrating bots, or preparing systems, everyone knew their role. Time was short, as our first pass challenge match against Tigers was scheduled for 12 PM local time.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go smoothly. The downlink (Rückkanal) wasn’t functioning properly on the Funkmaster, the robots’ encoders – extra lines from the motors to the firmware that report wheel positions – were unreliable, the kickers failed, and even field testing didn’t run as expected. The result: both pass challenge matches against Tigers and ZJUN went poorly. We ended up in third place – last, although only three out of five teams participated.
Technical challenge vs TIGERs
Another challenge: this year’s carpet is extremely slippery, which made dribbling significantly more difficult. Ball control was noticeably worse compared to our usual testing conditions.
After the matches, the entire team shifted into bug-fixing mode. The downlink was finally fully implemented – too late for the challenge, but a big step forward nonetheless. From this point on, testing our software directly on the field became much easier.
We had another test slot in the evening, during which we intensively tested all the fixes from the day. Many bugs seem to be resolved – for example, the bots are now overshooting less. It feels like we’re slowly getting back on track.
Day 3 – Progress with Obstacles
The day began, as so often, with a hearty breakfast – by now almost a fixed ritual that gives the day a bit of structure. Along with it came a bit of SIM card chaos: the search for the cards turned into a bit of an adventure, after a shop assistant from a small store sent us wandering through the alleyways of Salvador. With a strong sense of direction (and a bit of luck), we eventually found ourselves in the right place.
Then it was off to the venue for the first time – straight across Salvador. And here, a stark contrast revealed itself: while outside the usual Brazilian street life was in full swing, the venue felt almost like a different world.
Super modern, spacious, with stable internet – and most importantly: lots of room! A real upgrade for all teams.
On the technical side, things also moved forward nicely. The firmware managed to fully implement the return channel – a key feature for radio communication with the robots. Work on the FPGA continued as well – a chip in our new radio module that’s programmed on the hardware level and offers a lot of flexibility. The electronics were also put to use: cable issues were fixed, and – as always – some things were freshly soldered.
Then the highlight (or rather, the low point) of the day: the first official test slot on the field. Finally a chance to test our systems under competition conditions. Unfortunately, the first run ended in a collective crash test – several robots drove straight into the wall and had to be repaired afterward. The mood was accordingly tense.
In the mechanics department, things were buzzing: shot covers had to be re-cut, casings re-glued, and damaged parts replaced. A small-scale material battle – but that’s just how it goes. There seems to be an unwritten rule: no matter how well everything works back in Erlangen – once you’re on site, something always goes wrong.
Still: progress was made. The setup is in place, many construction sites are resolved, and the motivation is there. And sometimes, that’s enough to start the next day with a good feeling.
Team ER-Force!