RoboCup 2023 in Bordeaux - Day 6/7 - (Semi) Finals and Closing Party
Saturday, 08.07.2023
After the last few days, today begins much more relaxed with breakfast together at the hotel, and since not everyone was awake right away after last night’s boozy evening, some morning exercise was done beforehand. Our team leader Tom had already massaged away one or two knots for the teammates yesterday, but this morning the foam roller had to come out. In the morning we then went back to the hall – even though there were no more games for us to play, every team member still had something to do: we talked shop about robotics with other teams, watched games of the other teams still in the running, tested new programming concepts, discussed our own hardware and its potential for improvement, or ran first tests with a new camera setup. There was a treat at the end, too: because the former Humanoid Teen Size teams share an identical platform, the colleagues from the Hamburg Bit-Bots and NUbots teamed up and built a hybrid of both robots. Torso, head and arms come from the Bit-Bots. Legs and feet from the NUbots. Of course they immediately tested whether the robot could walk even without software adjustments – our teammates were also immediately fired up and watched the test with enthusiasm. The result was surprisingly positive, because the robot hybrid was able to walk a few steps right away. Amazing! But this is exactly what RoboCup stands for, too – it’s simply more than a pure competition and a battle on the pitch.
With lots of new insights and great ideas, we headed back toward the hotel, once again making a stopover in the Ginko district and looking for our dinner at the L’Escale Gourmande food court. There was quite a bit to choose from. Besides burgers, fries and the like, there were also delicious nachos and fresh Vietnamese bowls. We then spent the evening separately: some went into the city to have a drink in a bar, others retreated to their hotel rooms or used the mild summer night for interesting and lovely one-on-one conversations.
Sunday, 09.07.2023
The last day of RoboCup has arrived; for one last time this year we will enter the halls, and then the event will be closed with a big party. But before the end draws near, some more matches have to be played, because there are still no new world champions. After breakfast we went to the hall a bit later again today, and as on the previous day, all the Wolves scattered: some kept testing, others mingled with the crowd and watched some of the final games, including:
- The SPL final – B-Human vs. HTWK Robots. A German-German final with the colleagues from Bremen and Leipzig. Winner and world champion of the SPL is team B-Human from Bremen.
- The Humanoid Adult Size final – NimbRo vs. HERoES. A very clear victory for the former and new world champion: team NimbRo from Bonn.
- The Humanoid Kid Size final – Rhoban FC vs. CIT Brains. A very exciting final at the start, with two teams on equal footing. In the end, however, CIT Brains had to concede to the hosts, and Rhoban FC took the win in their home country.
Congratulations to all the winners!
And there is another reason to celebrate: our longtime team member Marcus was named Best Referee of RoboCup 2023, alongside Gustavo from ITAndroids and dear Virginia from team Sweaty – congratulations to you all as well, and many thanks for your commitment at RoboCup!
Right after the loudly celebrated final of the Humanoid Kid Size League, there was another highlight – a friendly match between Rhoban FC and B-Human from the SPL. Even though there was unfortunately no full game because of the differences in ball diameter between the leagues, it was a very entertaining first half when the two robot classes met.
After the finals, it was time to dismantle our camp, which we had used over the last few days. We packed everything back into crates and loaded it into our van, and among the other people in the hall, too, a mood of departure was slowly but surely breaking out. In the afternoon we then headed back to the hotel to rest a little and freshen up before the awards ceremony and the party in the evening.
On the way there, as in the last few days, we again stopped in the Ginko district for dinner. Today there was again a variety to choose from, including delicious, freshly topped bagels. Back in the hall, the picture had changed significantly compared with the last few days. The team tables were deserted, and in the stage area, chairs and benches had given way to two bars and snack stands. Team photos were being taken on the stage, and lots of people were chatting, dancing to the music or helping themselves to the canapés. Our team mingled with the other guests and everyone had lots of fun at the party. Unfortunately, it ended very abruptly and the hall was cleared on time. The second half of the closing party then took place at a beach bar in the immediate vicinity of the event hall. A lovely spot where the mood then really got exuberant. There was chatting, laughing, drinking, swimming in the bar’s own pool and even cuddling – but I won’t reveal more here :)
A wonderful, stressful, surreal and memorable time at RoboCup thus comes to an end. Many thanks to all the organizers of RoboCup 2023, it was a grand time! For some of us, the evening continued at a bar in the city center before we fell into bed dead tired in the middle of the night.
