Interview with Roberto Figueiredo: the RoboCup experience

Roberto Figueiredo is a master’s pupil at the College of Aveiro. He belongs to the Bold Hearts RoboCup group which completes in the Humanoid KidSize football organization. He is presently the regional agent for the Junior Rescue Simulation. We talked to Roberto regarding his RoboCup trip, from the junior to the big leagues, and his experience of RoboCup occasions.

When was your initial RoboCup occasion and which competitors did you participate in?

I began in 2016 in the Minor league with my secondary school and I participated in the rescue simulation competitors (although I initially signed up with the on-stage competitors). This initial occasion really occurred in Portugal, and it resembled a workshop. We certified to visit the globe mug in rescue simulation, in Leipzig, Germany, and we wound up in 2nd location. That was actually wonderful, and it was my initial call with RoboCup, and with robotics usually. I would certainly been dealing with electronic devices in the past, however simulation offered me a little bit of an intro to the much more academic elements of robotics, and to AI generally. Rescue simulation makes you think about means to make the robotics independent and not by hand regulated by human beings.

Roberto’s initial RoboCup in 2016, Leipzig, visualized with the Singapore group commemorating after the finals.

Could you inform us regarding the succeeding RoboCup occasions that you participated in?

In 2017 we certified to visit Nagoya, Japan, which was not simply a fantastic RoboCup, however a fantastic journey. That’s one more good idea regarding robotics, you reach satisfy a great deal of brand-new individuals in brand-new nations. We did rather well in this competitors also, I believe we got to fifth location.

Afterwards we mosted likely to European RoboCup Junior in Italy. The list below year was my last RoboCup as a junior, which remained in Sydney. That was likewise a fascinating occasion and I reached talk a little bit much more with the majors and comprehend just how their groups functioned. By this factor, I had actually obtained much more experience, and I really felt all set to obtain included with a big league RoboCup group.

There is a huge void in between the junior and big leagues. When I joined my group (the Vibrant Hearts), the majority of the group were PhDs and I was simply a 2nd year bachelor’s pupil so it was rather tough to get all the understanding. Nevertheless, if you are consistent adequate and you have an interest in, and enthusiastic around, robotics you’ll master it and you’ll find out by experimentation.

EuroRoboCup 2022 in Portugal. Roberto (stooping in picture) became part of the arranging board.

When was your initial competitors with the group in the big league?

My initial competitors was really in 2014, in Thailand. We really did not carry out as we would love to, nonetheless, there is a lot more to RoboCup than simply the competitors– it is currently even more of a clinical and knowledge-sharing occasion, it’s distinct. Simply this year, in Bordeaux, we had an issue with our robotics. Whenever we separated the ethernet wire, the robotic simply quit playing, and we could not determine what was taking place. I asked one more group that was utilizing the exact same software program– they had actually found out the issue prior to and they informed us just how to resolve it. I do not believe you’ll see that in various other competitors. Every group has a joint goal which is making scientific research progression, making relationships, and making various other groups much better by sharing their understanding. That’s actually distinct.

Exactly how did you sign up with the Vibrant Hearts group?

I chose to do my master’s in the UK (at the College of Hertfordshire), to experience a various nation and a various design of education and learning. When I signed up with, I recognized there was a group so I was currently eagerly anticipating signing up with. After a number of years of job, we ultimately reached most likely to a competitors as a group. It’s been a fantastic time and a substantial discovering experience.

What is your function on the group?

In our group, everybody does a little bit of whatever. We still have a great deal of troubles to resolve– on both the software and hardware side. Everyone presently are computer system researchers so it’s a little bit even more of a battle to deal with the equipment side. So, I do a little bit of whatever, both AI and non-AI associated troubles. For instance, I have actually done some 3d modelling for the robotics, and I’m presently dealing with the harmonizing issue. Most of us collaborate on the troubles which is impressive since you reach see a little bit of whatever and gain from everybody. Robotics is a really multidisciplinary area. You reach find out about all sort of subjects: mechanical design, electric design, artificial intelligence, coding generally.

The Vibrant Hearts’ certification video clip for this year’s RoboCup competitors

Could you inform us regarding this year’s competitors (which occurred in Bordeaux)?

This year we were a great deal much more ready than in 2014, when we would certainly simply return from COVID, and all of our skilled participants had actually lately left the group, because of completing their PhDs and beginning job. Producing an effective robotic group is a substantial combination issue. There are many items that require to fit and function completely for the robotics to work, and if one fails it resembles your system isn’t doing anything. We obtained strolling functioning completely this year, we had vision functioning well as well, and we had a secure choice tree, and we had the ability to pay attention to the controller (which resembles an umpire and hands down info regarding fouls, video game begin and quits and so on). Nevertheless, we had some insects in the choice tree that made whatever crumble and we invested a great deal of time attempting to debug it. This takes place to a great deal of groups. Nevertheless, you can still value the job and progression of what they have actually done.

RoboCup 2023 in Bordeaux. Roberto (left) with Vibrant Hearts colleagues.

What are the prompt prepare for the group?

We are currently thinking of signing up with the simulation competitors, which becomes part of our organization. It happens in the winter and we’re intending on signing up with to deal with our software program. The change in between simulation and equipment is rather tough. You require a great simulation base to be able to move straight the understanding to the robotic. We’re dealing with having an excellent simulation so we can move, at the very least much more conveniently, the understanding discovered in simulation to the robotics.

RoboCup is relocating much more in the direction of AI and finding out, which we can see in the 3d simulation. The robotics find out a great deal of the activity via support discovering, as an example. In the physical organizations it’s not as very easy as we need to move that to the real life, where there is play in the joints, there’s reaction, there’s play in the 3d components– there are a great deal of variables that are not thought about in simulations.

Exactly how has becoming part of RoboCup influenced your researches and study?

Whenever I most likely to RoboCup I appear thinking of what I’m mosting likely to do following. I could not be much more influenced. It’s an actually extreme area however I enjoy it. It makes you intend to function actually tough and it makes you enthusiastic regarding scientific research. I did my bachelor’s task associated with RoboCup, I signed up with a master’s program on robotics, I maintain asking my Professors if they intend to begin a group back in Portugal. I’m mosting likely to do my master’s thesis on robotics, on humanoids. I believe humanoids are a really complicated and fascinating difficulty. There is no person solitary option.

Regarding Roberto

Roberto Figueiredo is a Portuguese, AI-focused computer system researcher with a bachelor’s level from the College of Hertfordshire. He presently seeking a master’s in Robotics and Intelligent Equipments from the College of Aveiro, and is enthusiastic regarding progressing his know-how in robotics. He has actually long been really passionate regarding robotics and AI, participating in RoboCup given that 2016 in the Rescue Simulation organization. He has actually given that ended up being regional agent for the Rescue Organization in Portugal and signed up with a Significant group, Vibrant Hearts, in the Child Dimension organization, among one of the most tough in RoboCup Humanoid Football.