Dear fellow Robocuppers,
Only two weeks left until this year's vRoHOW!
As last year we will use Discord as our virtual venue. If you haven't already, you can join the event server here: https://discord.gg/XrSbTzsYEP
The content, i.e. talks, presentations and workshops, will be scheduled after 22:00 UTC+1 on Friday (2022-12-02).
Please inform us about your interests and talks via the MOPAD (https://mopad.rohow.de/). You should be able to create an account for yourself by selecting your respective team name.
Note that you have to create new accounts for this year.
All additional information and schedule is available at rohow.de
We are looking forward to see you on Friday (2022-12-02) at 19:00 UTC+1 for the opening ceremony in the Discord TownHall voice channel.
Gretings from Hamburg,
Team HULKs
* Call for Participation *
RoboCup Humanoid League Virtual Season (HLVS)
https://humanoid.robocup.org/hlvs2023/
December 18th 2022 to May 7th, 2023
===========================================================
The RoboCup Humanoid League is inviting interested teams to apply for
participation in the Humanoid League Virtual Season (HLVS).
The Humanoid League will host a competition in the simulated KidSize
League (40 – 100cm robot height (FIFA size 1 ball))
1. Humanoid League Virtual Season
=================================
As in the previous HLVS a simulated soccer competition will take over
several months with matches every other week.
Since the Virtual Humanoid Soccer Competition will be held entirely
online, all teams registering for the competition will be admitted. The
exact tournament format will be announced once the number of
participating teams is known.
Details on the setup and implementation will be published and
continuously updated on the RoboCup Humanoid League
website:https://humanoid.robocup.org/hl-vs2023/
1.1. Simulator & Game Rules
---------------------------
As in the previous HLVS, Webots with the Humanoid League simulation
world, the automatic refereeing system, and the simulation interface
will be used.
However, Webots version 2022b will be used instead of 2021b. This
requires changes to the team's robot models!
We keep the specifications of the simulation interface and the server up
to date on this link: https://humanoid.robocup.org/hl-vs2023/
The automatic refereeing system and the simulation world are continously
being worked on. Most significantly, further domain randomization will
be introduced. This includes but is not limited to reasonably uneven
ground, randomized reset positions of the robot's starting poses. As
with any major change during the competition, these will be announced
and finalized 3 weeks before the next game. Bug Fixes are not subject to
this deadline.
Robot models must be submitted 2 weeks before the start of the
competition to be verified. If you would like to update your robot model
during the season it must be submitted by Monday 6:00am UTC before a
competition day.
The rules of the virtual game will initially be the ones used for HLVS
2022 but will be updated during the competition. The 3 week notice
period also applies here to allow teams to adapt their software.
1.2. Competition Schedule
-------------------------
Matches will be streamed approximately every other week on Sundays (see
preliminary schedule).
A workshop is planned (see dates below) to conclude the competition.
More information on this will follow.
Matchday 1: Dec 18th
Matchday 2: Jan 8th
Matchday 3: Jan 22th
Matchday 4: Feb 5th
Matchday 5: Feb 19th
Matchday 6: Mar 5th
Matchday 7: Mar 19th
Matchday 8: Apr 2nd
Matchday 9: Apr 16th
Matchday 10 Apr 30th (may be postponed due to RoboCup GermanOpen)
Workshop: May 5th, 6th, and 7th
Please note that the exact dates of the games are subject to change in
case of significant bugs in the simulation or automatic refereeing
software or an overlap with regional RoboCup tournaments. In these
cases, the teams will be notified as early as possible about a shift in
the game schedule.
1.3. Competition Setup
----------------------
The competition will be performed entirely in the cloud. Each team is
guaranteed to play a minimum of 8 games. The exact tournament format
will be announced once the number of participating teams in each size
class has been determined.
Details of the server specification are the same as in the HLVS 2022 and
can be found here https://humanoid.robocup.org/hlvs2023/
The deadline for teams uploading their software on the Friday before a
matchday at 6:00 am UTC. The simulation will then be run in the cloud
and a recording of the match streamed online on the match days. Access
to log files will be provided to teams after the match has been streamed.
Teams will be given possibilities to test the setup of the competition.
Several test scenarios will be offered to teams in early December. These
scenarios will be similar to the ones offered during the mock
competition. Teams must pass the tests in the order presented if they
have not already proven so during previous virtual competition that they
pass these tests.
*Robot model inspection*: A manual inspection is carried out by members
of the TC, making sure that the model does not crash or significantly
slows down the simulator. The TC also checks that the team.json is in
the proper format and all fields are set.
*Connection test*: We launch a simulator with one robot instance, and we
start a game to verify whether Webots accepts the connection.
*Walking test*: We launch a simulator with one robot instance, and we
start a game with a cap of 5 minutes real time. We inspect the recording
for evidence of the robot being able to walk in the ready or play state.
*Penalty shoot-out*: We launch a simulator and one robot instance with
the teams being paired (if possible). Teams need to be able to move the
ball to pass.
*Short game*: We launch a simulator and 4 robot instances with the teams
being paired (when it is possible). The game time is capped to 2.5
minutes per half time, RR style. Teams need to be able at least to
touch the ball to pass.
If custom test scenarios are required by teams to test specific
components of the cloud infrastructure together with the team’s
software, please let us know.
1.3. Registration
-----------------
The registration process for the Humanoid League Virtual Season is done
in two steps. First, you need to submit general data about your team via
the submission system of the Humanoid League:
http://submission.robocuphumanoid.com/. All teams that fulfill the
formal requirements are automatically qualified to participate.
The following data is required:
* Team name
* URL of the team’s home page
* Name of team leader or team contact person
* E-mail address of team leader or contact person
* Postal address of the team, team leader or contact person
* Letter of Commitment
Please note that teams applying for participation in several classes
must register individually for each class and pay the appropriate
registration fee.
The registration form must be filled out online at
http://submission.robocuphumanoid.org/
In the second step, the teams must pay a fee of $340 for the entire
tournament season (including a minimum of 8 games plus tests). Payment
needs to be made to the Federation via Wire Transfer or PayPal. Detailed
instructions are sent to teams after registration. Please note that
teams need to cover the respective transfer and conversion fees that
apply for your country when transferring money to the US. For PayPal,
US-based teams need to pay 2% of processing fees (around 7 USD), for
international teams a 4% processing fee applies (around 14 USD). The
fees for wire transfer depend on the country and specific bank.
The amount is calculated by using the experience from the HLVS 2022.
Any extra funds will be used for future HLVS as a buffer.
1.4. Submission of Robot Model File
-----------------------------------
Robot models used in the competition must comply with the specifications
published here: https://humanoid.robocup.org/hl-vs2023/
These have been updated from the last HLVS.
They must be submitted by December 2nd, 2021.
Teams are highly encouraged to make their robot model available to the
research community with an open-source license. This is, however, not a
requirement for participation. In order for the Technical Committee to
ensure the robot models comply with the laws of the game, the full robot
file needs to be made available to the Technical Committee during the
qualification process.
The submission will be done via Pull Requests on GitHub. If your team
does not want your robot model publicly available, please contact the TC.
2. Submission System
=====================
The submission system will be opened November 16th and all application
material must be submitted online at http://submission.robocuphumanoid.com/.
3. Deadlines
=============
Registration system open: November 16th, 2022
Deadline for submission: November 26th, 2022
Deadline for payment of registration fee: December 10th, 2022
Submission of robot model file: December 2nd, 2022
With best regards,
Technical Committee of RoboCup Humanoid League 2022/23