Robot soccer world championship in Eindhoven - German title chances good

The code decides

The HTWK plays in a league in which only the software or code is decisive. "We all play with identical robots," explains Polter. In other leagues, the teams build their own robots, with less focus on the software.

In addition to the Leipzig and Bremen teams, the Hamburg and Dortmund teams are also very strong. "Team Runswift from Australia is also always among the front runners," says Polter.

Interplay between humans and robots

In addition to the main competition, this year there will also be the so-called "Shared Autonomy Challenge", in which two robots compete against each other. "However, only one team is fully autonomous - meaning it is not controlled by a human," explains Polter.

These robots are programmed in advance and play with a fully automated code. On the opposing side, one of the robots is remote-controlled by a human. The challenge: the human at the wheel cannot see the playing field. They can only stream the robot's sensor data to their laptop and have to use this information to give the robot commands. According to Polter, the challenge is primarily intended to "shed light on the cooperation between man and machine".

Preparations in full swing

While many players in human soccer are now enjoying a well-deserved summer break, preparations are in full swing in the robot football team at HTWK Leipzig.

The tournament starts in Eindhoven on July 17. According to Polter, the title is "definitely more tangible than in previous years". "We have left no stone unturned and have worked hard."

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