Category Archives: ER-Force

Day 7 – The End in Penalty Shootout

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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

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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 3 – Progress with Obstacles

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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!

School Visit – Willstätter-Gymnasium in Nuremberg

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On Friday, May 9th, 2025, we – Robotics Erlangen – had the pleasure of visiting the Willstätter-Gymnasium in Nuremberg. Starting at 2 p.m., we had the fantastic opportunity to engage with students from all grade levels as part of the school’s Forschungs-AG (Research Club) – including a dedicated Robotics group of 5th graders who are just beginning their journey into technology and programming.

With us: two of our autonomous soccer robots, which we regularly use in national and international competitions. The students’ excitement was immediate – many were fascinated by how our robots can “understand” the field, orient themselves, detect the ball, and aim for the goal – all without any remote control.

In addition to presenting our work and giving insights into robotics at the Faculty of Engineering at FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg, students were especially curious about the technical details:
How do robots “think”? What’s behind camera-based object recognition? How are movements planned? And how do the robots communicate with one another?

At the same time, we were truly impressed by the students’ own projects within the Research Club. One highlight was a sustainable garden irrigation system, designed to be both ecologically and energy efficient. Automated, power-saving, and environmentally conscious – exactly the kind of innovation we need for the future!

We’d like to sincerely thank the Willstätter-Gymnasium for the invitation and the inspiring exchange. It was wonderful to see so much curiosity and creativity among the next generation of young researchers. We’re looking forward to seeing some familiar faces again – perhaps soon at FAU!

RoboCup German Open 2025: ER-Force vs. TIGERs Mannheim

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Now the time has finally come: The final match of the German Open will take place this Sunday at 12:30 PM between our team and the TIGERs Mannheim. After we were able to hold our ground quite well against the Mannheim team during this tournament, we can expect an exciting game here!

First Half

05:00 Both teams are preparing for the match. Our team is playing as the yellow team with—believe it or not—ELEVEN robots, while the TIGERs are in blue, of course, also with 11 robots.
05:00 The match kicks off on time at 12:30 PM with a kickoff for TIGERs. But right away, a timeout for ER-Force due to issues with Ra and the radio connection.
03:56 There are intense duels between the ER-Force robots and those of TIGERs in our half. Our robots are giving it everything they’ve got. The result: One of our high-kick flaps goes flying through the air!
03:41 Another very tense situation right in front of our goal. The ball keeps getting passed back and forth between our defense and the attackers, but our defenders ultimately manage to defuse the situation!
03:06 After some maneuvers in the Mannheim half, they strike back with a counterattack, unfortunately resulting in a goal from the side!
ER-Force 0 : 1 TIGERs Mannheim
02:33 The dangerous situations continue, but our robots are defending bravely so far. Both teams now have a yellow card, meaning only 10 robots are allowed to play!
02:17 Very well cleared by our goalkeeper! A throw-in by TIGERs near our penalty area turns into a dangerous attack on our goal, but the goalkeeper confidently defends with a chip kick.
01:35 This time, a small attack from our robots, with some of our field players showing great skills. Unfortunately, it does not result in a dangerous situation for the Mannheim team.
00:46 Our team is not showing any weaknesses: They relentlessly block every attempt to attack our goal.
00:23 A nice attack from our robots on the TIGERs’ goal, although the finishing power is lacking. The subsequent counterattack from Mannheim is successfully intercepted by our defense.
-00:02 The last attack from Mannheim on our goal, but it doesn’t pose a real threat. With that, both teams head into the five-minute halftime break.

Second Half

05:00 Without switching sides, the second half begins with a kickoff by ER-Force. Will our team manage to equalize?
04:42 Strong defense by our goalkeeper! A powerful attack by TIGERs, but our goalkeeper clears the ball towards midfield!
04:37 But unfortunately, now: The immediate follow-up attack is successful, and TIGERs extend their lead to 2:0!
ER-Force 0 : 2 TIGERs Mannheim
03:46 The dominance of TIGERs is clearly visible: The ball spends most of the time in our half. Nevertheless, we are holding our ground; despite the two conceded goals, our defense has been very strong so far!
02:56 Our defensive wall is rock solid: As soon as TIGERs find an opportunity for an attack, the wall closes in front of our goal and eliminates any danger.
02:22 A nice attack from our robots, but once again, we lack the finishing power to be truly dangerous!
01:43 What a scene in our penalty area! One attack on our goal after another, but with luck and relentless marking, we manage to prevent any further damage!
00:53 Our goalkeeper is as strong as ever and does not give up his goal easily! Unfortunately, we receive a red card after accumulating two active yellow cards and getting another one. A shame, as the first of these yellow cards would have expired in just four seconds.
-00:15 After one last effort and an incorrect interruption by the AI referee, the game finally ends 2:0 in favor of Mannheim.

Looking back, this match was a beautiful showcase of the current state of the Small Size League. In a very fluid game, both teams demonstrated their skills brilliantly.

Although TIGERs Mannheim dominated the match throughout, we still managed to launch attacks from time to time and defended even harder. As a result, we are still very satisfied with the outcome and take away many insights and opportunities for improvement for the next tournament, which will take place next week in Crailsheim!