RoboCup Junior Soccer Robot

Hello Arduinoforum,

we are the RoboCup Junior Team FRT from Berlin. Since 2010 we compete in the category Soccer A lightweight.
2010 and 2011, our robot was based on the NXT platform. For 2012, we switched to Arduino.
We are currently the reigning German champion and Vize-worldchampion. Since we are no longer active at the RoboCup Junior
, we want to publish our project, as the first RoboCup Junior team ever, provide open source, to make it
possible that everybody start in the competition with a good based platform.

Briefly on RoboCup Junior. The RoboCup Junior is a competition for young people up to 20 years. There are several
Categories where robot from different teams compete. One of this is soccer. In this league play
two autonomous robots against two other autonomous robots. Every year in Germany you can qualify
for the German championship, where you can qualify for the World Cup.

A small video of us, so that the can imagine figuratively.

Our robot is consist of 3 x 5W maxon motors, 2x L6205 motor driver, 14x TSOP 1140 infrared sensors, 4x SRF10
Ultra sounds sensors, 1x CMPS 10 compass sensor, a light barrier and the Ardunio Mega2560 who control everything.
For moving we used our self designed Omniwheels, which allowes us to move in all directions. With the TSOP's,
we locate the ball and with the light barrier we check, whether we have the Ball itself. With the ultrasonic
sensors, we can locate ourself on the field and by the compass we always know in which direction we are and
shoot at goal which we should. For debugging We have an LCD display from Sparkfun.

The whole project can be download for free on our website: Opensource - FIRST RoboCup Team

In this project are many tips, hints and tactics which we have implemented.
Important, it is not our competition code in there, the driving style, how we move behind
the ball in a efficient way, we have taken out or simplified, since we do not want
that all team have the same tactic. But we have explained how we do it, you have to realize that
in your code by yourself. :slight_smile:

We would be very pleased about your sugestions and your criticism.

You can write us and ask questions here in the forum or at frt.robotik(at)gmail.com, we'll try
response as quickly as possible.

If you use something of the code please send us what you use an if you use it for RoboCup. We want to
see if the project help someone out there.

Tobias of the team FRT

edit: refresh the links

Wow....

Amazing!

I am also a Robocup junior soccer competitor!
And I love that the you put up everything to be open source, if only there were more teams like you!
I am planning on going to robocup2013 in holland, will you guys be participating this year?
Anyways, I hopefully will do the same with my robot once it's done.
One question, you said you used the TSOP1140?
I am currently experimenting with the TSOP1138, but I am having tons of trouble with the viewing angles.
Did you use anything to shield the sensors viewing angle?
Also, what kind of components did you use for the light barrier?

Best Regards

Thank you.
We will be at German Open as refrees and me, Tobias, will be at the world championchip with a major team.
We are using the TSOP 1140 but it's not so diffrent to the TSOP 1138. As you can see on the picture, we used
white plastic pipe, so we can only see in a specific direction. We bought it for some euros at a warehouse.

For the light barrier we used this one:
Reciever: TEPT5600
Emitter: NSPG500DS

In which team are you?

Regards, Tobias

Hi!

Could you send me the sizes of that pipe?
I have been trying to use heat-shrink tubing, but it doesn't work that good.
I am in the team Jakrobotics, previously we were called Hunrobot.
But we didn't attend Robocup2012.
So are you guys going with a Small size league team?

Regards

The inner diameter is 10mm. We used tape before the plastic pipe, mabye thats something for you.
We start in Standard Plattform League with the NAO's.

Tobias

Hi!

One last thing, I saw you used some-sort of metal to shield the compass sensor.
What is it? And where can you buy it?
I have been experimenting with mu-metal, is it that?

Thanks

Best Regards

Sry, I don't know where you see a shield of metal. Maybe send me a link to the picture or video.
We experimented with mu-metal too but didn't use it becaus it worked fine wothout it.

Tobias

Hi!

I am referring to the two metal pieces next to the compass sensors,
which I can see on your picture.


Best Regards

Hello Tobias!
Thank you for this thread about your Soccer Robots. I am a big fan of Professor Raul Rojas's FU-Fighters.
I am amazed that young people like you are interested in such complex field (AI, vision, etc.). Congratulations!

By the way, a couple of years ago, I started to build my own soccer robot, but juts then, other work affairs have entertained me and I have decided to wait until I can have more time. I used a 3pi Pololu robot, Arduino Fio, Xbee and a software called Roborealm. Using a web camera my robot can detects and track the ball but that's it.
I have posted part of the design here in the forum showing the robot, Fio and Xbee modules.

http://arduino.cc/forum/index.php/topic,145197.0.html

And a video controlling the robot wirelessly.

Good luck with your robots and keep us posted with your challenges/progress!

Jak24:
Hi!

I am referring to the two metal pieces next to the compass sensors,
which I can see on your picture.


Best Regards

There is nothing at the compass. the metal pieces are used as holders for the referees. In our videos
you will see it.

Tobias

@Palliser
Very nice project. Could you send me or post your code for the communication?
I want to do an Android App to control the soccerrobot.

I know the FUFighters, I talked to them a few times at a workshop in Berlin.
They do now humanoid soccer robots, which are amazing, such a lot of
great work.
The old robots, for small the size league, were a little insperation for us.

Regards, Tobias

Hi!

frtrobotik:

Jak24:
Hi!

I am referring to the two metal pieces next to the compass sensors,
which I can see on your picture.


Best Regards

There is nothing at the compass. the metal pieces are used as holders for the referees. In our videos
you will see it.

Tobias

Oops, sorry my bad, I didn't see the back side of the holder. :stuck_out_tongue:
Anyways thanks for all your help, I hope I will be able to meet you guys at Robocup!

Best Regards

John

We can meet at Eindhoven, it's no problem. We will write some days before the tournament.

Tobias

Hallo Tobias.
I will post soon all the robot code. These days I am a bit busy with my new Ethernet API for Arduino Due. Thanks for your patience.

@Palliser

Have you post the code already?

Tobias

thumb up from the "Vicenza Thunders" team! :slight_smile:

Now that the TSOP1140 is discontinued, what would you all recommend as a suitable replacement? Do you think the TSOP31240 will work?

This is amazing! I also do RoboCup Junior, but I do Rescue instead :stuck_out_tongue: