Category Archives: RoboCup

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!

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!