They are called, for example, “Floptropicans“, „Gefängnisausbruch“ or „Die Sekte des Baguettes“. But even more creative than the names of the teams were their constructions and designs.
A total of 64 students from northern Germany competed with robots they had built and programmed themselves at the NORDMETALL RoboCup Junior Qualification on the campus of the Technical University of Hamburg. Over two days, the participants, aged between 10 and 19, competed with their teams in various competitions. The prize for the best: a place in the German RoboCup Junior Championship in Cologne in March. There, they can qualify for the European Championships in Austria and the World Championships in Incheon, South Korea.
The RoboCup is the leading and largest competition for intelligent robots. The competition is regarded worldwide as a major technology event in research and education. The special feature of the RoboCup, including the competition in Hamburg, is that the robots may not be remotely controlled. It is also forbidden to give the robots information about the course before they start. The machines must navigate completely autonomously.
No chance without teamwork
Will the young designers' plans work out? Are their machines prepared for all the tasks? Excitement and surprises were guaranteed during the robot battle in Building H. Above all, however, the curiosity and enthusiasm for science of the young talents was palpable. The competition was not only attended by the families of the participants. Other interested parties – admission was free – and media representatives, such as a camera team from Sat.1, also found their way to the TU Hamburg. Dr. Henning Haschke from the robotik@TUHH initiative was enthusiastic, especially about the cooperation within the participating teams. “You see this a lot here: there's the expert in programming, the expert in everything else, the organizational expert,” said Dr. Haschke. “Ultimately, it's the same as with projects at university or in professional life: the team does it, and everyone has to work together.”
Without teamwork, nothing would have been possible in the four disciplines. One of these was “Rescue Line.” In this discipline, the machines had to autonomously navigate a course, overcome obstacles such as ramps and seesaws, and independently recover small objects. In the “OnStage” discipline, on the other hand, artistic quality was required in addition to technical know-how: the teams performed on stage with their self-constructed robots – a dance, a play, or something similar. A jury of experts evaluated the show.
Eight teams advance to the German championship
The idea of establishing a RoboCup qualification location for northern Germany at the TU Hamburg arose in 2016 from the robotik@TUHH project by NORDMETALL and the TU Hamburg. This project has been committed to promoting students in the STEM fields, i.e., mathematics, computer science, natural sciences, and technology, since 2003.
This year, eight teams ultimately secured the coveted starting places for the German Championships in Cologne at the competition at the TUHH. They and all the other participants proved once again that cell phones are by no means the only technology that teenagers are interested in.
Further information about the competition can be found here:
