Category Archives: 2025

Day 5 – Early Start, Lots of Stress, and Broken Encoders

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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.

 

1.Spiel: ER-Force vs TIGERsOur 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

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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 2 – All About the Tech

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Today was all about the technical side. Each subteam was fully focused and working across all fronts.

The mechanics team had their hands full: to avoid any conflicts with the new batteries, the shot covers were quickly reshaped – creative, functional, and efficient.

The electronics team was also deep in hands-on work. A major redesign was tackled: the modular setup was reworked so that connectors can now only be plugged in correctly – unless someone really tries to force it wrong. In addition, broken light barriers were repaired, bringing back some much-needed reliability.

Firmware made the most of the day by focusing on two big topics: work on the FPGA (a chip in our new Funkmaster module that needs to be programmed on the hardware level) and intense tinkering with Active Disturbance Rejection Control (ADRC) – a system that actively counters disturbances or prevents them from happening in the first place. The central question of the day: how can we identify potential sources of error early and eliminate them reliably? Not flashy – but exactly the kind of detail that makes a difference.

The strategy team worked on fixing bugs from past test games and continued refining

the tactical routines. At the same time, one topic kept coming back: wireless communication. Already a problem child during RoboCup in Bordeaux, the connection between robots and control remains a hot topic – and a critical one.

In the late morning, the whole team gathered at the hotel pool for a meeting. A relaxed setting for a focused debrief: reflecting on our recent workshop and what insights we

want to carry forward into the competition days ahead.

The day wrapped up with what should’ve been a simple dinner order – but turned into a bit of an adventure. CPF numbers (which are required for many things in Brazil), missing phone numbers, and the ever-present language barrier created quite a bit of chaos – but also plenty of laughs. After a long wait, the food finally arrived. Verdict: delicious, a bit chaotic, but definitely a moment we’ll all remember.

 

Day 1 – Hitting the Ground Running (and Swimming)

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The first full day on site kicked off with a mix of sun, sea, and serious setup work. After breakfast, we headed straight to the beach – no hesitation, straight into the water. It was the perfect way to shake off the long journey and enjoy a moment of freedom before the intensity of RoboCup truly begins.

Back at the hotel, the whole team gathered in the lobby to plan the day, unpack equipment, and organize tasks. Everyone split into their respective areas – mechanics, electronics, software, firmware and publicity – ready to dive in.

Meanwhile, part of the team ventured out to a local supermarket to stock up on supplies. It turned out to be more of a mission than expected: the language barrier made even simple things challenging. But with creativity and teamwork, we pulled it off.

After a quick bite to eat, the real work began.
The software team got everything tournament-ready – testing, tweaking, and fixing the final bugs. On the firmware side, there were still some battles with the wireless communication.
Electronics involved some re-soldering on the robots, and mechanically we added damping to the battery holders to prevent damage during rapid acceleration or sudden stops.

We also took the time to go through the scientific papers of the other teams qualified for RoboCup – gaining insight, inspiration, and valuable context for the competition.

The work carried on late into the night. It wasn’t always smooth, but the team powered through with determination and focus. We’re now fully arrived – with robots, team spirit, and a good dose of ambition in our luggage. Let’s get this RoboCup started!

Traveling to Brazil

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The long wait is finally over. RoboCup 2025 is just around the corner – and, as always, the journey there is rarely easy, but always exciting! While most people in Erlangen were still wrestling with the final preparations for RoboCup, Tobi was already on his way to beautiful Brazil to help with setup on site. The calm before the storm, you could say.

 

Part of our team met on Saturday, July 12, 2025, in the early morning hours at Nuremberg Central Station. With tired eyes but full of anticipation, we headed towards Munich Airport via the ever-popular Deutsche Bahn. There, as planned, we met up with the rest of the group at 8 a.m. After check-in, we proceeded to the security check – which, surprisingly, went almost smoothly. Thanks to good preparation and our team’s persuasive skills (supported by a trailer about us, which will be online soon!), we were well-equipped. Our main stars – the robots – passed through security without any issues.

 

The first flight was a rough one: turbulence, a hard landing, and a fully
 booked plane – typical Lisbon.
Stopover in Lisbon

Stopover in Lisbon

But the best moment was a funny coincidence: we ran into our colleagues from the SPL team up north – the Hulks! Now we were on the same flight and had a really pleasant exchange. That’s RoboCup for you – it brings people together. After a short stay in Lisbon – including one or two much-needed coffees – we continued our journey. Well, not quite immediately. We had to put up with a one-hour delay before we were finally able to board the plane to beautiful Salvador. A little after 11 p.m. local time, we finally heard: Bem-vindo ao Brasil! One last suitcase took its time, but eventually we boarded our team bus – a.k.a. the airport shuttle – and headed to the hotel.