German Open 2025 - The Preparation
This year, the RoboCup GermanOpen 2025 took place from March 12 to 16 in Nuremberg, and as one of the few teams in Germany, we of course couldn’t miss it.
For us, the preparation began on the Saturday of the previous week, when we met again for a workshop in our lab. This time, after a short breakfast and a basic cleaning of the lab, we got down to integrating and finally testing our new developments.
GermanOpen as a Testing Ground
After every World Championship in July, we plan the development for the coming months. Based on the experience gained there, we decide how the robots need to be extended and how the software needs to be adapted. We then spend the winter months working on this development. And during this time, all five robots from our team are rarely ready for use at the same time. On top of that, we recruit more members in the winter semester than in the summer semester, and now have a few months to teach the newcomers as much as possible.
Historically, the GermanOpen is the first competition of every calendar year for us. That also makes it the date by which all robots have to work again. However, because the GermanOpen is always a rather relaxed event, we bring a lot of prototype modifications to the competitions. So, to speak, we test the effect and benefit of our modifications from the past months at the GermanOpen, directly in competition.
At the same time, we try to bring as many newcomers as possible to the GermanOpen so that they can gain some competition experience. Based on their behavior and performance in the competition, we also decide whether the respective new member may come along to the World Championship in July. So on the one hand, it is an extremely intensive workshop for our newcomers, and on the other hand, a kind of exam.
Still, the physical well-being has to be taken care of too!
