The Darmstadt Dribbling Dackels

Background:

In information technology computing power and storage capacities double at least every two years. What can we expect if today the PC is already operating at its full capacity only for multimedia applications instead of standard office applications? The PC will gradually be enhanced by many powerful, no longer directly visible, distributed processors. Input devices such as keyboard and mouse will be complemented by sensors like cameras and microphones, through which the hidden computers’ complex algorithms analyze the environment as well as the human operator who communicates his commands naturally by voice or gesture. The output devices of future computers will not only generate visual and acoustic signals but also physical movements like driving or picking up objects. We will encounter mobile, hidden computers in many ways; for example driving-assistance systems which can drive autonomously and react faster and more safely to a dangerous situation than a human driver could do.

Robot soccer:

RoboCup is an international joint project to promote artificial intelligence and robotics research by providing a standard problem where a wide range of technologies can be integrated and examined. RoboCup selected robot soccer as a central topic of research, aiming at innovations to be applied for socially significant problems and industries. In order for a team of fully autonomous robots to actually perform a soccer game, various technologies must be incorporated including: Design principles of autonomous agents, multi-agent collaboration, strategy acquisition, real-time reasoning, robotics, and sensor-fusion.

RoboCup is a task for a team of multiple fast-moving robots in a dynamic environment. At the annual RoboCup world championships several hundred teams compete in more than ten different leagues. In the four-legged league two teams each of four Sony Aibo robots compete against each other on a four by six meter field. The robots act completely autonomously, i.e they have to independently determine and execute all their decisions during the game. By processing images from a CCD camera in their head they have to localize on the playing field, plan their movements, and execute them through coordinated control of a total of 15 joints in the legs and the neck. Algorithms for vision, behavior control and locomotion running on an onboard processor have to be developed.

Since 2001 the Darmstadt Dribbling Dackels founded at Fachbereich Informatik (Prof. von Stryk) of the Technische Universität Darmstadt compete in this league. Since then they have reached the finals of the annual international RoboCup GermanOpen four times in a row which they have won twice. Together with teams from universities in Berlin, Bremen, and Dortmund, the Darmstadt Dribbling Dackels are part of the GermanTeam which has recently won the world championships twice, in 2004 in Lisbon and 2005 in Osaka.

The Darmstadt Dribbling Dackels demonstrate their soccer skills in a game of four against four autonomous robots. The robot soccer world champion may be challenged by a team of four robots which are remotely controlled by a human team via joysticks. Despite their superior natural vision capabilities and intelligence it is very difficult for the human challengers to perform on a par with the robot world champions, this is highly enjoyable for challengers and spectators as well.

Back to Event reports