Category Archives: ER-Force

RoboCup Crailsheim: ER-Force vs. RoboTeam Twente

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Directly after our game against TIGERs Mannheim, we continue with our third match of the day: ER-Force vs. RoboTeam Twente. We are, of course, hoping for a win here to secure a good starting position in the knockout phase on Sunday.

If we win this game, RoboTeam Twente will surely finish fourth in the group. Additionally, we are almost certainly second, as it is unlikely that luhbots will win against the world champion TIGERs Mannheim. The latter are already sure to finish first.

First Half

05:00 The game starts almost on time with a kickoff by Twente. In this game, there is again automatic game commentary from the speaker, which makes the game much more accessible.
05:00 Since we are not quite finished with our setup, we start the game with a timeout. Quickly checking if our AI is started in the correct mode, laptops are plugged in, and nothing else stands in the way of a victory before the game can really begin.
03:45 After Twente’s robots lose some parts, there is an emergency break by Twente, costing them a timeout.
03:30 The game goes on quietly, and a goal for us falls quite unobtrusively.
ER-Force 1 : 0 RoboTeam Twente
03:30 Twente uses the game interruption to take a timeout and check their robots.
03:24 And the goals keep coming: Once again, we successfully put the ball into the net, further extending our lead.
ER-Force 2 : 0 RoboTeam Twente
03:24 Even though we are currently scoring goals, the game is extremely leisurely and feels more like a Sunday game. It must be said, however, that we are currently testing a new motor control and new motor boards, so it was expected that the game wouldn’t be ultra exciting.
03:01 After questioning the loyalty of one of our robots, as it behaves more like an opponent’s robot, there is a robot substitution.
02:28 Initially, our 1 gives the impression of a great performance, successfully executing ball placement. But this impression is quickly dispelled when it botches the subsequent throw-in.
01:45 Maybe we should hang a net around the field: For no reason and to the great confusion of all our computer scientists, our robot chips the ball out of the field during a game pause. Definitely something we want to look into.
01:21 Now there are some camera problems. Already yesterday (technically this morning), the camera caused sleepless nights, as among other things, the yellow paper was not well recognized by the camera.
00:19 Our Spätzle has to be substituted due to knee injuries (= motor failure): Spätzle’s knees became as soft as… well, Spätzle.
00:03 Almost at the end of the first half, we manage to increase our score: a goal for us. But the goal doesn’t count, as we previously committed a double touch: our robot kicked the ball twice in succession without passing to a teammate in between. This is a foul.
00:00 Thus, the game goes into halftime. The game action wasn’t exactly grand, but at least it matches the amount of sleep most of our team members had last night.
00:00 The halftime is used to flash the robots anew.

Second Half

05:00 As our team members are still trying to get our robots a bit more up to speed by flashing them, but the halftime break is running out, we also start the second half with a timeout.
05:00 Since we are also running out of timeout, the second half starts just as leisurely as the last half ended. Since this game is our last for the day, we have more than enough time to tackle the problem calmly.
02:43 This half offers very few highlights: The ball moves very leisurely, the game is often interrupted by shots out of bounds by RoboTeam Twente.
00:57 The game is so boring right now that I didn’t even notice two goals being scored. Meanwhile, there’s already a discussion on how we can pimp our firmware to eventually compete against TIGERs. So far, however, our hardware gives the impression that we can expect significant improvements from a software perspective in the coming weeks, which is very positive. Regardless, two goals for us!
ER-Force 4 : 0 RoboTeam Twente
00:43 One last timeout for us to tweak the hardware a bit more.
00:06 We stylishly close the game with a final, fifth goal.
ER-Force 5 : 0 RoboTeam Twente

Reading the game might seem rather sobering, but we are fundamentally very happy with our robots’ performance. It was already expected that new hardware would not work immediately and that only a limited amount of manpower could be devoted to designing new motor board firmware and motor control over a weekend. All the more, we are pleased that the robots run so well and reliably. This becomes even more understandable considering that we only received our new motor boards five days ago and thus could hardly test them.

Additionally, our HBC radio has so far only shone on the large field; radio problems are now officially a thing of the past, both on the small Division B fields and the large 12x9m² Division A field, much to our delight.

Since we are now almost guaranteed to be second place, we will probably not have any mandatory games today and will instead play our next game tomorrow afternoon.

Note: The above information is based on the public communication of the organizer. Our club is not the organizer of the tournament and therefore cannot independently verify the information.

BuGa 2023: Conclusion

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As the tournament at the Bundesgartenshow (BuGa) is now coming to an end and we have secured an excellent second place, we’d like to take a moment to reflect on our journey.

Compared to the RoboCup 2023 in Bordeaux, we were able to significantly improve our performance with the new robots: The radio communication issues have been completely resolved, and our robots executed their driving commands as precisely as they haven’t in years. This clearly demonstrates the advantage of robust industrial solutions like the HBC radio system compared to our previous custom solutions.

The motor board problems have also nearly disappeared as a result. The theory here is as follows: When our robots don’t receive radio signals, they shut down all wheel modules as a safety measure to avoid being a hazard to people and themselves. However, this also results in an abrupt shutdown of all wheel motors, and the remaining current circulating through them, due to the electrical principle of inductance, which dictates that current through electric motors cannot cease instantaneously, can lead to defects in the Motor Controller Boards.

So, when we have radio communication issues, the modules are regularly and unexpectedly shut down. When everything works smoothly, the activation and deactivation maneuvers are carefully controlled at the beginning and end of a game: The motors are brought to a halt by the AI, and then the modules are shut down.

Aside from these two issues, the new robots required very little maintenance—compared to their predecessor generation as well. Only some motor connectors showed problems on the board side: It seems that the through-hole connections of the pads are breaking, causing the power lines on the Power Distribution Board to detach from the motor. We were able to prove this through resistance measurements.

Since we also had problems with our shooting board (same PCB manufacturer)—back then, the solder mask had peeled off from almost all traces at certain spots—we seriously need to consider switching to a different PCB manufacturer.

Nevertheless, it was an excellent tournament that reinvigorated not only our robots but also the spirits of many team members. The enthusiasm is clearly noticeable among all the present members. The positive developments of the other teams since the RoboCup—especially RoboTeam Twente, whose performance improved drastically over the last month—have further fueled our members’ motivation. And so, after the final match, we actively joined the other teams in dismantling the tournament.

We are already looking forward to competing against all the amazing teams at the next European event. It was a pleasure playing against them this weekend. And so, we bid you a heartfelt farewell from the BuGa!

BuGa 2023: Game Schedule

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Group Stage (Saturday, 12.08.2023)

Points Table

Platz Team Spiele Punkte Torverhältnis
1 TIGERs Mannheim 3 9 21:0 21
2 ER-Force 3 6 13:1 12
3 Immortals 3 3 3:20 -17
4 RoboTeam Twente 3 0 0:16 -16

Results

Time Match Article Stream Final Score
10:00 AM ER-Force vs. TIGERs Mannheim Article 00:01
11:30 AM Immortals vs. TIGERs Mannheim Article 00:10
01:00 PM ER-Force vs. RoboTeam Twente Article 03:00
02:30 PM ER-Force vs. Immortals Article 10:00
04:00 PM TIGERs Mannheim vs. RoboTeam Twente Article 10:00
05:30 PM RoboTeam Twente vs. Immortals Article 00:03

Knockout Stage (Sunday, 07.07.2023)

Time Match Article Stream Final Score
11:00 AM TIGERs Mannheim vs. RoboTeam Twente Article 10:00
12:30 PM ER-Force vs. Immortals Article 01:00
14:30 Uhr TIGERs Mannheim vs. ER-Force Article Livestream 03:00

BuGa 2023: TIGERs Mannheim vs. ER-Force

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It feels like it was just yesterday when we played the first game of this tournament. Well, it was actually just yesterday. But still, time has passed very quickly, and now we’re just about to start the final game.

As expected, TIGERs delivered a very confident and dominant performance, much like during the RoboCup in Bordeaux. They mostly managed to dominate their opponents. However, they couldn’t score against us; we only lost due to an own goal.

First Half

05:00 The game starts with less than 5 minutes delay, the arena is full. TIGERs play in yellow, ER-Force in blue.
04:43 And a shot on goal right away by TIGERs Mannheim, but initially, we can defend. However, as the attacks persisted, it eventually happened: Goal for TIGERs.
TIGERs Mannheim 1 : 0 ER-Force
04:05 After several more attempts on our goal, two of our robots get stuck near our penalty area. Getting stuck here is very understated; they got along very well. As a result, there are ball placements for ER-Force, but both teams fail to place the ball.
03:06 More attacks on our goal follow, but our team can hold up magnificently.
02:30 Now we strengthen, putting pressure on TIGERs’ defenders with many attacks. However, the attack is eventually stopped, and our robot is mobbed by 5 Mannheim bots as punishment, gathering around and practically squeezing it.
01:47 Now the attack is again primarily in our half, and unfortunately, it ends successfully again: Goal by Mannheim with a shot from an acute angle past our goalkeeper!
TIGERs Mannheim 2 : 0 ER-Force
01:16 Another attack by us on Mannheim’s goal, but unfortunately, the ball narrowly misses the target. That could have been something; the goalkeeper wasn’t quite there yet!
00:28 Currently, the game is somewhat stuck in one of our corners. Both teams fail at ball placement; our robot even has its back to the ball while trying to place it, which is an interesting ball placement strategy.
00:17 And the ball is kicked out of the field again, but this time by us.
-00:17 After a cheeky move where instead of passing to our own robot, we pass to a Mannheim robot, the first half ends rather uneventfully.
00:00 Although we’re two goals behind, we don’t need to hide at the moment. After all, Mannheim still manages to sweep away weaker and even strong teams 10:0 in the first half. Additionally, our defense has been very solid, making it very difficult for TIGERs to find the gap. We’ve seen some interesting attacks from us, so we’re really hoping to catch up in the second half!

Second Half

05:00 The second half kicks off; TIGERs has ER-Force.
04:07 After crashing into a TIGERs bot for the second time and previously shooting the ball over the boards, we now receive a yellow card and can only play with 5 robots for the next two minutes.
04:07 Again, the corner poses a problem, none of the robots can reach the ball. It seems the 45° ramps, usually placed in the corners, were forgotten. Getting the ball out of 90° corners is practically impossible given the size of SSL robots.
02:06 The robots of both teams often get stuck in a duel, leading to many situations ending with Lack of Progress. At least our penalty time has expired without danger.
01:35 TIGERs had to change a robot, probably because the battery is empty. A characteristic here is the constant clicking of the plunger when the robot discharges from shooting.
01:27 And this time, TIGERs Mannheim shoots the ball out of the field, but luckily I could collect it right away, and the game continues quickly.
01:08 Strong attack by us, but our back pass to one of our colleagues goes wide. The ensuing counter-attack by TIGERs becomes quite dangerous, but one of our robots solves the problem, risking a foul (touching the ball in the penalty area). Unfortunately, this results in a penalty kick for TIGERs!
01:03 Unfortunately, the Mannheim robot scores the penalty, so there’s a goal for TIGERs following the penalty kick!
TIGERs Mannheim 3 : 0 ER-Force
-00:16 A very intense situation against us! Mannheim’s robots are in our half and even shoot at the goal, but the ball misses the target by a few centimeters.
00:00 Overall, this was a very exciting final game, even though the second half was rather quiet. Our play was very enjoyable to watch, and we defended very solidly. The progress of the last 4 weeks was clearly visible, and the trend for the next weeks and months is clearly set!

BuGa 2023: ER-Force vs. Immortals

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Now, let’s continue with our semifinal match against Immortals. Since Immortals arrived very late yesterday, this is also the first game we can play against this team. We expect an exciting match here because Immortals is one of the best teams in the league and has had several hours to calibrate their robots and adapt to the game situation in Mannheim.

Overall, we believe that statistically speaking, we will win, but the uncertainty is significant enough that victory cannot be guaranteed. Therefore, we are very curious to see how the next 10 minutes of the game will unfold!

05:00 The game starts on time; we’re playing in blue, Immortals in yellow.
04:20 Short break: Immortals receives a yellow card after causing multiple crashes.
03:45 Currently, there is more pressure on ER-Force’s goal; the ball is in our half more often than in the opponent’s half.
03:18 Oh, indeed, Immortals is driving aggressively: Not only are they causing crashes; one of their robots almost tipped over. Immortals now also takes a short timeout.
02:49 Apparently, there are also issues with camera detection in one of the field corners. It’s typical for SSL tournaments that the camera system regularly encounters problems, even if most issues occur on the first day.
02:46 Immortals has accumulated three fouls due to two crashes and one tip-over, which means they can now only play with 4 robots and therefore have to take their fifth robot off the field.
02:27 After a successful ball placement, we botched the kickoff, but the ball rolls almost randomly near the opponent’s goal. However, we elegantly make up for the mistakes from before by sinking the ball into the goal following beautiful passing. Goal for ER-Force! Immortals can now play with 5 robots again.
ER-Force 1 : 0 Immortals
01:00 After the ball has been permanently in the opponent’s half for some time, there was a somewhat dangerous shot on our goal that missed. Overall, our defense is as strong as usual, with most situations being handled confidently by our defenders.
00:34 Very tense situation in Immortals’ penalty area! After winning the ball and pushing toward the opponent’s goal, the shot almost goes in but bounces off at the last moment. However, the keeper almost kicked the ball into their own goal, but unfortunately, only almost!
-00:07 That concludes the first half. While the Iranians initially dominated, we were able to increasingly turn the tide throughout the first half and shift the focus of the game towards the opponent’s goal.
00:00 Something smells burnt… No one knows where the smell is coming from; both teams check their robots, but everything seems fine.
00:00 Apparently, the burnt smell is coming from an Immortals robot, which brings relief to our team. While we’re not used to our robots “going up in smoke,” it does get the pulse racing a bit.

Second Half

05:00 Immortals would like to switch sides for the second half. Generally, teams play both halves on the same side, but teams can also switch sides during halftime.
05:00 ER-Force takes a timeout, probably to test the robots.
03:40 Again, the game starts in our half, and there are some attacks on our goal. However, our defense can defuse a dangerous attack. Finally, the game is whistled for Lack of Progress between two robots.
03:14 Another stuck situation in front of ER-Force’s goal, Immortals now only with 5 robots and executing a substitution maneuver.
03:03 Extremely dangerous situation in our half after one of our robots passes confidently to the opponent. Naturally, Immortals takes advantage of the situation to launch a strong attack on our goal. But our goalkeeper is there and defuses the situation.
02:14 Apparently, our goalkeeper can’t shoot high properly. Instead of making clearance shots, we’re seeing more droplets. Perhaps there are mechanical issues preventing the plunger from functioning smoothly.
00:17 The pressure on our goal is definitely there! The second half is strongly dominated by Immortals, but our defense stands strong. Of course, Immortals is buying their attack through aggressive play and thus risking some fouls.
00:17 Quick bot change by us, but after a brief inspection, the robot is immediately put back on the field.
-00:20 Many duels that fizzle out into nothingness, ending with Lack of Progress, have dominated the second half, which has mostly taken place in our half. It ends with a beautiful attack on Immortals’ goal, which unfortunately doesn’t succeed, but the attacking intent of the opposing team was clearly felt, and we’re glad that our defense could hold the goal until the end.
00:00 After winning this game, we will now play in the final against TIGERs Mannheim at 2:30 PM.