Students from Eindhoven University of Technology won the Robot Soccer World Championship again on Sunday. The Tech United student team defeated the Falcons from chip manufacturer ASML 6-2 in Bordeaux, France. This means that the students of Eindhoven can call themselves world champions for the seventh time.
During the World Robot Soccer Championship, self-driving robots play against each other. The robots themselves – using sensors and special software – determine how they move across the field and who to play the ball with. The robots are about 80 cm high and play five against five. They play with normal football.
This is the seventh time that TU Eindhoven has won the championship, and the fourth time in a row. The profit is mainly due to the improved maneuverability of the robots. Tech United’s robots have three steerable wheels. The drive has also been improved. This allows the robots to increase their pace three times faster, at speeds of up to 7 meters per second.
Last year, the bots from Eindhoven also played against an ASML team in the RoboCup final. This then led to a crushing 15-0 win for PSV.
Now the teams were more balanced. According to a university spokesperson, both teams played defensively. PSV led 2-0 at half-time.
Developing these kinds of robots isn’t just for fun. The improvements made for these competitions can also be implemented in care robots and robots used in rescue work.
