Gearing up for RoboCupJunior: Interview with Ana Patrícia Magalhães

Activity from RoboCupJunior Rescue at RoboCup 2024. Picture: RoboCup/Bart van Overbeeke.

The yearly RoboCup event, where groups collect from around the world to participate in competitors throughout a variety of organizations, will certainly this year occur in Brazil, from 15-21 July. An integral part of the week is RoboCupJunior, which is made to present RoboCup to college youngsters, and sees numerous children participating in a selection of difficulties throughout various organizations. This year, the lead coordinator for RoboCupJunior is Ana Patrícia Magalhães. We overtook her to figure out exactly how the prep work are going, what to anticipate at this year’s competitors, and exactly how RoboCup motivates neighborhoods.

Could you inform us concerning RoboCupJunior and the strategies you have for the competitors this year?

RoboCup will certainly occur from 15-21 July, in Salvador, Brazil. We anticipate to obtain individuals from greater than 40 nations, throughout the Junior and Significant Leagues. We are preparing whatever to fit all the trainees participating in RoboCupJunior, that will certainly join the Junior Leagues of Football, Rescue and OnStage. They are youngsters and young adults, so we have actually arranged shuttle bus to take them from the resorts to the convention facility. We have actually likewise prepared a manual with referrals concerning safety and security, locations they can check out, locations to consume. The concept is to give all the required assistance for them, since they are so young. We’re likewise arranging a welcome celebration for the Juniors to ensure that they can experience a bit of our society. It will with any luck be an excellent experience for them.

The Juniors will certainly be found on the very first degree of the mezzanine at the convention facility. They will certainly be different from the Significant Leagues, that will certainly get on the very beginning. Certainly, they’ll have the ability to check out the Significant Leagues, and speak to the trainees and various other rivals there, yet it will certainly behave for them to have their very own area. There will certainly likewise be some moms and dads and educators with them, so we made a decision to utilize this unique, devoted area.

RoboCupJunior On Phase at RoboCup 2024. Picture: RoboCup/Bart van Overbeeke.

Do you have any kind of concept of about the amount of groups will be participating?

Yes, so we’ll have around 48 groups in the Football Leagues, 86 groups in the Rescue Leagues, and 27 in OnStage. That’s a great deal of groups. Each group has concerning 3 or 4 trainees, and much of the moms and dads, educators and teachers take a trip with them as well. In overall, we anticipate concerning 600 individuals to be connected with RoboCupJunior.

RoboCupJunior Football at RoboCup 2024. Picture: RoboCup/Bart van Overbeeke.

Have you obtained a lot more RoboCupJunior individuals from Brazil this year as a result of the place?

Yes, we have several groups from Brazil completing. I do not recognize the precise number, yet there are certainly a lot more Brazilian groups this year, since it’s a great deal less expensive and simpler for them to take a trip below. When we have competitors in various other nations, it’s pricey for them. For instance, I have a group below in Salvador that got approved for the very local occasion in the United States and our group could not go. They had actually certified, yet they could not go since they really did not have cash to spend for the ticket. Currently, it will certainly be feasible for all the Brazilian groups certified to get involved since it’s less expensive for them ahead below. So it’s a large possibility for growth and to live the RoboCup experience. It’s extremely vital for youngsters and young adults to share their research study, satisfy individuals from various other nations, and see what they are doing, and what research study course they are complying with. They are extremely thankful for the possibility to have their job checked versus others. In a competitors, it is feasible to contrast your research study with others. So it’s various from meetings where you offer a paper and reveal your job, yet it’s not feasible to contrast and assess the outcomes with various other comparable job. In a competitors you have this possibility. It’s an excellent way to obtain understandings and enhance your research study.

RoboCupJunior Rescue at RoboCup 2024. Picture: RoboCup/Bart van Overbeeke.

Your duty at this RoboCup will certainly be arranging RoboCupJunior. Are you likewise associated with the Significant Leagues?

Yes, so my primary duty is arranging RoboCupJunior and I am likewise among the chairs of the RoboCup Seminar. Besides, some groups from my research laboratory are completing in the Big leagues. My group takes part in the @Home organization, yet I have not had much time to assist them just recently, with all the prep work for RoboCup2025. Our research laboratory likewise has groups from the 3d Simulation Football Organization, and the Traveling Robots Demonstration. This will certainly be the very first time we’ll see a flying robotic trial organization at a RoboCup.

We’ll likewise have 2 jr groups from the Rescue Simulation Organization. They are extremely delighted concerning participating.

RoboCupJunior Rescue at RoboCup 2024. Picture: RoboCup/Bart van Overbeeke.

RoboCup was last kept in Brazil in 2014, and I comprehend that there were rather a great deal of brand-new individuals that were influenced to sign up with a group afterwards. Do you assume the 2025 RoboCup will have the exact same result and will influence even more individuals in Brazil to participate?

Yes, I wish so. The last one influenced several, several trainees. We might view the distinction prior to and after RoboCup during that time, pertaining to jobs in institutions. In 2014, RoboCup was kept in João Pessoa, a city in the north eastern that is not as established or occupied as several various other states in Brazil. It truly enhanced the research study because location and the passion in robotics specifically. After the 2014 RoboCup, we have actually had actually several jobs sent to the Brazilian RoboCup competitors from that state each year. Our company believe that it was due to RoboCup being held there.

We wish that RoboCup2025 following month will certainly have the exact same result. We assume it could have an also larger influence, since there is even more social networks currently and the information can spread out a great deal even more. We are anticipating several site visitors. We will certainly have a kind where institutions that intend to check out can sign up on a directed see of RoboCup. This will certainly go survive the web site following week, yet we are currently getting several messages from institutions asking exactly how they can get involved with their team. They have an interest in the occasions, so we have high assumptions.

We have actually been working with arranging RoboCup2025 for over a year, and there is still much to do. We are delighted to obtain everyone below, both for the competitors and to see the city. We have a stunning city on the shore, and some attractive locations to check out, so I suggest that individuals come and remain for some days after the competitors to be familiar with our city.

Concerning Ana Patrícia

Ana Patrícia F. Magalhães Mascarenhas obtained her PhD in Computer Technology from the Federal College of Bahia (2016) and Master in Mechatronics from the Federal College of Bahia (2007 ). She is presently a complement teacher at the State College of Bahia (UNEB) at the Details Solution program. She is a scientist and vice organizer of the Facility for Study in Computer System Style, Intelligent Solutions and Robotics (ACSO). Her existing research study concentrates on solution robotics and software application design, specifically pertaining to using Expert system (AI) in the software application growth procedure and in Model-Driven Advancement (DDM).