- RoboCup-humanoid - lists.robocup.org

Newsletter #2 - Humanoid Soccer League
by Caron, Benjamin 05 Dec '25

05 Dec '25

New Division Structure for the Humanoid Soccer League (HSL) The Technical Committee is pleased to announce the latest developments for the new humanoid soccer league. This newsletter provides clarifications on the current state of decisions regarding the divisions, ball specifications, and jersey requirements for the RoboCup 2026. Town Hall All teams are invited to a Town Hall meeting. The Town Hall will be held on December 15th at 11:00 UTC online in Zoom: https://hu-berlin.zoom-x.de/j/68018766319?pwd=bbgiDWtbSCcRv9ZWdyUSapBaFZeza… The agenda for the meeting will be: * Mission and Vision of the HSL * HSL design requirements and parameters * Rule set review: * Legal Robot parameters, constructed & standard platforms * Divisions and Foundation/Advanced tiers * Team sizes * Brief Game Rules review * Future coming directions and league requirements, 2027-2028 * Q&A Session, including pre-provided questions/comments During the Q&A session, priority will be given to questions submitted in advance. Please use this form: https://forms.gle/2QNeWgvg8ciKBAzw9 Three Competitive Divisions for 2026 The division structure is the central component of the new league. Thus, the decision regarding the competition divisions was a lengthy process that involved many individuals from TCs to EXECS and Trustees. We took into account many opinions, including all the discussions held on Discord, and carefully considered all relevant factors. Consequently, this division is final for the 2026 season, and no further changes will be made. Division Max Weight Max Height Players Ball Size Small 15 kg 110 cm 4-7 SPL / FIFA Mini Middle 25 kg 125 cm 3-5 FIFA 3 or 4 Large 80 kg 190 cm 3-5 FIFA 5 Division Overview * Small Division Entry tier of the HSL, welcoming both NAO and kid-size research robots. Designed for accessibility while supporting innovation and providing a smooth transition from the former SPL. In this division, the maximum weight and height of the robots have an upper limit, meaning that robots that are heavier or higher than the limit are not allowed. The details of how the FIFA Miniball and the smaller, softer SPL ball will be used are still being debated. * Middle Division Intermediate tier between small and full-size platforms, enabling stronger actuators, larger sensor payloads, and more advanced locomotion research, while still allowing for easy handling and large team sizes. Both size 3 and size 4 balls will be used, depending on availability. * Large Division Aligned with adult human-scale proportions (up to 190 cm / 80 kg), this division brings robots closer to real-world adult soccer challenges. Smaller robots (i.e., those meeting the weight and height specifications of a lower division) are permitted to compete in larger divisions. We anticipate and hope for a diverse competitive landscape featuring teams fielding a variety of robot types, including both commercial platforms and custom research robots of different sizes. However, for a team utilizing multiple types of robots, the entire team is restricted by the physical specifications (maximum height or maximum weight) of the largest robot on the field. It is important to note that teams should expect further increases in the small division limits over the next years, leading up to the consolidation in two categories only: one that would allow robots to play with children of up to 10 years; and another with robots that could compete with teen and adult human players. Field Dimensions The field sizes for the proposed divisions are described in the following table: Division Width x Length (meters) Small 6 × 9 Middle 6 x 9 up to 9 x 14 Large 9 x 14 up to 14 X 22 The size of the small division field is equal to that of the Humanoid League KidSize and the SPL fields, and the largest dimension in the middle division equals the Humanoid AdultSize field. These dimensions maintain continuity with historical league formats while accommodating the new divisional structure. The middle and large fields are specified as a range, and they reflect the variability permitted in real-world FIFA field specifications. Team Configurations Teams in each division can choose to play in two team configurations: Foundation - with a smaller number of players; and Advanced - with a larger number of players. If in a game one of the teams chooses to play in a Foundation configuration, then both teams must play in this configuration to ensure fairness. The maximum number of players in a game for each configuration is shown in the table below: Division Foundation Advanced Small 4 players 7 players Middle 3 players 5 players Large 3 players 5 players Those numbers denote the maximum number of players in a team. A team can always compete with fewer robots than the maximum configuration allowance. In the Middle division, starting from the quarter-finals onwards, all matches will be played in the Advanced configuration. Whether a robot pool can be provided to fill up teams that cannot field enough robots is currently under discussion. Teams are encouraged to choose the Advanced configuration in the small and large divisions as well, for example, by forming merged teams. It is likely that in the next years Advanced configurations will be enforced in all divisions. Fitness Tests Robot inspections verify that robots meet the physical specifications for their division, but they do not assess robot abilities (e.g., standing up is not required for eligibility). Fitness tests and leaderboard challenges will be included in the competition in some form, though the exact structure is still under discussion. These fitness tests serve as a benchmark to monitor the progress of the league. Failure to pass any of the tests will not prevent teams from participating. Robot Color and Jerseys Robot bodies must be colored mostly with a neutral color, such as black, gray, white, or silver, and be non-reflective. Robots use colored jersey shirts as team markers. A Jersey is a tank top-style shirt that may start at the neck and go down to the waistline, and does not cover the arms of the robots. It must cover at least 50% of the upper body of the robot. Jerseys must have a primary color that comprises more than half of the jersey. The primary color must be recognizable from the front and back. Jerseys should not contain distracting patterns that could be confused with other elements of the soccer field, such as field lines or the ball. Jersey material must be non-reflecting, non-shiny, and non-glittery. Jerseys may be manufactured from fabric and fine mesh. Each team must provide two jersey designs in distinctly different solid colors. The jersey color must clearly contrast with any uncovered parts of the robot to ensure reliable identification. Robots must display clear identification numbers (player number): a large number on the back and a smaller number on the front. Sponsorship logos will be allowed on jerseys, though detailed guidelines are still being finalized. Jersey designs must be submitted for approval prior to the competition. Robot Stand-Up Requirement Robots are expected to recover autonomously after a fall during a game. If a robot is unable to stand up on its own during play, a standard penalty will be applied. Robots that are not physically designed to stand up unassisted may still participate in the competition; however, the same penalty rules will apply when they are unable to recover from a fall during a game. Rule repository The rules are actively developed on this repository: https://github.com/RoboCup-HumanoidSoccerLeague/HSL-Rules <https://github.com/RoboCup-HumanoidSoccerLeague/HSL-Rules> However, please note that due to the early stage, those rules are subject to change. Best regards, The Executive and Technical Committee of the Humanoid Soccer League (HSL)

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RoboCup GermanOpen 2026 - Call for Participation
by Maike Paetzel-Prüsmann 30 Nov '25

30 Nov '25

RoboCup German Open 2026 Call for Participation - Major Leagues https://robocup.de/german-open Cologne Trade Fair, Cologne, Germany The 23nd RoboCup German Open 2026 will take place from March 10-14 in Cologne. Cologne with its welcoming vibe offers a captivating mix of culture, architecture, history, and lively atmosphere. From the awe-inspiring Cologne Cathedral — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — to its dynamic art scene and riverside cafés along the Rhine, the city invites exploration. For example, visitors can enjoy world-class museums, the walkable old town with many bars, or festive events like the Cologne Carnival. Cologne is a perfect destination for both history lovers and urban adventurers and a great host for RoboCup German Open 2026. Every regional and international Major team is cordially invited to take part in the event. ---------- RoboCup Major Leagues (international teams) ---------- After the team setup on March 10th, the competitions will take place from 11th to 14th of March 2026 in the following main leagues: • RoboCup Humanoid Soccer League • RoboCupSoccer Small Size League • RoboCupRescue Robot League • RoboCupIndustrial Smart Manufacturing League • RoboCup@Home League For Major team registration please visit: https://portal.robocup.de/registry Registration deadline *** January 31st, 2026 *** Late registration deadline (team members only) *** February 28th, 2026 ***. Teams are advised to arrange their own accommodation *** as early as possible *** as cost of accommodation is expected to rise in the run-up of the event. Most recent rule developments in all leagues, especially the Soccer and Smart Manufacturing Leagues will be considered for the competitions. Depending on sufficient interest from teams in participating, additional major leagues, such as the Middle Size League, may be offered. ---------- Further information on co-located events ---------- RoboCup German Open 2026 will be embedded in didacta 2026, which is Europe's largest education fair and most important continuing education event for teachers. Over 700 exhibitors from more than 60 countries will present their offerings in Cologne. Participants tickets to RoboCup German Open will include didacta tickets as well. The 2nd German Robotics Conference on AI-powered robotics, organized by the Robotics Institute Germany, will take place from March 11 to 13, 2026, parallel to the RoboCup German Open and in close proximity to it. ---------- RoboCup Junior (German teams) ---------- From March 12-14, 2026 the final event of the German RoboCupJunior Championship will be held at RoboCup German Open 2026 in Cologne. The best teams that have qualified in the nine previous German qualifying tournaments will take part. The best German Junior teams in the 2026 German Junior Final will qualify for RoboCup 2026 in South Korea and for the European RoboCupJunior Competition 2026 in Austria. ---------- Organization Committee ---------- - Oskar von Stryk (General Chair) - Julian Werner (Project Lead) - Alexander Ferrein (German RoboCup Committee, Spokesperson Major) The Major Leagues Organizing Committee: - Heinrich Mellmann (Humanoid Soccer League, former Humanoid & Standard Platform Leagues) - Nicolai Ommer (Small Size League) - Johannes Pellenz, Stefan May, Thomas Sander (Rescue Robot League & RMRC) - Sven Wachsmuth (@Home League) - Alexander Ferrein, Christoph Steup (Smart Manufacturing League) The Junior Leagues Organizing Committee: - Lara Trappmann - Oskar Kirmis - Niko Lockenwitz - Michelle Bialdyga - Christian Häußler - Lena Eickhoff - Stefanie Haupt ---------- Important dates ---------- - 2025-12-01 Major teams early registration starts - 2026-01-31 Major teams registration deadline, team member registration deadline - 2026-02-28 Late registration deadline (team members only) - 2026-03-10 Set-up day Major League teams - 2026-03-12 to 16 Competition days - 2026-03-14 Major and Junior finals The event is open to the public during all days from 9 am to 5 pm ---------- Contact ---------- Please contact germanopen(a)robocup.de for any questions. See you all at the 23rd RoboCup German Open 2026! Best regards, German RoboCup Committee

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RoboCup German Open 2026 - Save the Date
by Maike Paetzel-Prüsmann 12 Nov '25

12 Nov '25

Dear RoboCup Humanoid Teams, the GermanOpen will take place in March 2026 again and we will likely be the first to try the new rule book of the RoboCup Humanoid Soccer League, which is the joint SPL/HL league. All international teams are of course welcome to join us in Cologne, Germany as well! See below for details. Maike --- RoboCup German Open 2026 Save the Date - Major Leagues https://robocup.de/german-open/?lang=en Cologne Trade Fair, Cologne, Germany The 23nd RoboCup German Open 2026 will take place from March 10-14 in Cologne. Cologne with its welcoming vibe offers a captivating mix of culture, architecture, history, and lively atmosphere. From the awe-inspiring Cologne Cathedral — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — to its dynamic art scene and riverside cafés along the Rhine, the city invites exploration. For example, visitors can enjoy world-class museums, the walkable old town with many bars, or festive events like the Cologne Carnival. Cologne is a perfect destination for both history lovers and urban adventurers and a great host for RoboCup German Open 2026. Every regional and international Major team is cordially invited to take part in the event. RoboCup Major Leagues (international teams) After the team setup on March 10th, the competitions will take place from 11th to 14th of March 2026 in the following main leagues: RoboCup Humanoid Soccer League RoboCupSoccer Small Size League RoboCupRescue Robot League RoboCupIndustrial Smart Manufacturing League RoboCup@Home League Registration opens December 1st, 2025, further announcements will follow. Registration deadline January 31st, 2026 Late registration deadline (team members only) February 28th, 2026. Teams are advised to arrange their own accommodation as early as possible as cost of accommodation is expected to rise in the run-up of the event. Most recent rule developments in all leagues, especially the Soccer and Smart Manufacturing Leagues will be considered for the competitions. Depending on sufficient interest from teams in participating, additional major leagues, such as the Middle Size League, may be offered. Further information on co-located events RoboCup German Open 2026 will be embedded in didacta 2026, which is Europe’s largest education fair and most important continuing education event for teachers. Over 700 exhibitors from more than 60 countries will present their offerings in Cologne. Participants tickets to RoboCup German Open will include didacta tickets as well. The 2nd German Robotics Conference on AI-powered robotics, organized by the Robotics Institute Germany, will take place from March 11 to 13, 2026, parallel to the RoboCup German Open and in close proximity to it.

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Newsletter #1 - New RoboCup Soccer League
by Caron, Benjamin 07 Oct '25

07 Oct '25

Introducing the New RoboCup Soccer League (Official name to be announced) RoboCup 2026 will mark the beginning of a new chapter in humanoid robot soccer. The Standard Platform League (SPL) and the Humanoid League (HL) are merging into a single unified league. This brings together years of expertise, innovation, and competition under one framework. Why merge? * Shared goals: Both leagues focus on humanoid soccer, but from different angles. * Unified platform: A single set of design and gameplay rules will allow for a more direct comparison of approaches. * Future growth: A larger, more diverse league will drive faster progress in humanoid robotics. Minimum Robot Rules The Technical Committees (TC) of both the former SPL and HL are currently working on the detailed rules for the new league. For now, here are some important updates: 1. Robot eligibility for RoboCup 2026 * Both commercially available and self-built robots will be allowed, as well as mixtures * All robots that competed at RoboCup 2025 in either the SPL or HL will be eligible. * All robots listed on robotprogram.robocup.org<https://robotprogram.robocup.org/> are also accepted. 2. Minimum requirement for all competing robots * Robots participating in the league must have a human-like body shape with a torso, head, two arms, and two legs, as well as human-like symmetry and proportions regarding sizes of the body parts and weight distribution (Definition of humanoid robot from Kajima et al, 2005). * Locomotion: Robots must walk bipedally, run, or jump. They must stand upright on their feet and recover from falls. * Body Mass Index (BMI): 5 ≤ BMI ≤ 30. * Leg length: Must follow human-like proportions: 0.35 · Htop ≤ Hleg ≤ 0.7 · Htop (Htop = total robot height). * Arm span: Inspired by da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man for human-like proportions: 0.8 · Htop ≤ Aspan ≤ 1.2 · Htop. * Arm functionality: Arm length and placement must support human-like behaviors (e.g., standing up after a fall, picking up or throwing a ball). * Not allowed: non-human-like support (e.g., using arms to assist walking). * Arms must not reach below the knees when standing upright. * Head height: Must follow proportional constraints: 0.1 · Htop ≤ Hhead ≤ 0.3 · Htop. * Sensor * Allowed sensors Robots may include any of the following: * Vision: RGB camera (opening angle < 180°), stereo camera, event camera * Audio: Microphone array * Inertial: Gyroscope, accelerometer, IMU (without compass) * Force and touch: Force sensors, touch sensors, buttons/bumpers, other haptic sensors * Intrinsic: Temperature, current, joint positions, and other internal measurements * Not allowed sensors The following are prohibited to ensure equal conditions for all robots: * Omnidirectional (360°) camera * Independent compass * LIDAR (2D/3D) * Ultra-Wideband (UWB) distance measurement * Bluetooth-based localization * Unmentioned sensors are still subject to evaluation 1. Eligible standard robot platforms (non-exhaustive): * Nao V5, Nao V6 * Darwin (model) * Booster T1, K1 * Fourier GR1, GR1-Pro, GR2 * Unitree G1, H1 Envisioned Timeline The TC will share more details in the coming months on: * Divisions - mid October * More information on mechanical and electrical components - mid October * Game rules - early November * Safety - mid November RoboCup 2026 participation survey The Technical Committee would like to gather information on teams’ intentions to participate in the new Soccer League. Please fill out the following form here<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1GHyBmgWAwPkWkOcLqCsbFu5WN578o2ckU8ihO4k0sn…>. Stay tuned for updates as we build this exciting new chapter in RoboCup soccer! The Technical Committee of the new RoboCup Soccer League

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Re: Welcome to the "RoboCup-humanoid" mailing list
by Na A 28 Jun '25

28 Jun '25

> On 28. Jun 2025, at 13:03, robocup-humanoid-request(a)lists.robocup.org wrote: > > robocup-humanoid(a)lists.robocup.org <mailto:robocup-humanoid@lists.robocup.org>

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New GameController version now available!
by sebastianmail＠vodafonemail.de 16 Jun '25

16 Jun '25

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[RooCup HL] REMINDER: Collaboration meeting SPL/HL challenge tomorrow, May 3rd, 11 am UTC
by Sebastian Stelter 02 May '25

02 May '25

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Save the Date: RoHOW 2025 - November 28–30
by HULKs TUHH 23 Apr '25

23 Apr '25

*Dear RoboCup Teams and Robotics Enthusiasts,* We’re excited to announce that the *12th Robotic Hamburg Open Workshop (RoHOW)* will take place *from November 28 to November 30, 2025* at the *Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH)*! Hosted by the *HULKs*, TUHH’s humanoid robot soccer team, RoHOW is a unique networking and educational event tailored for RoboCup teams and researchers in the field of humanoid robotics. The workshop offers an open platform to exchange insights, share advancements, and dive into in-depth discussions—especially in the context of robot soccer. Our agile and participant-driven program will once again follow the *Open Space Conference* format, allowing for maximum flexibility to match your interests. Expect engaging talks and workshops on topics such as computer vision, locomotion, deep learning, league development, and more. Industry partners and sponsors will also be present to showcase their latest innovations in robotics. 📍 *Save the Date:* 🗓️ *November 28–30, 2025* 📍 *TUHH, Hamburg* 📝 To help us make this year’s event even better, we’d love your feedback on last year’s RoHOW — you can share your thoughts here: https://forms.gle/uLT9UhoV8AhXVvnx9 💸 A *participation fee* will likely apply again this year. The exact amount is yet to be determined. 📬 A separate email with the *registration deadline* and further details will follow soon! We’re looking forward to seeing many of you again and welcoming new faces to RoHOW 2025. Mark your calendars and stay tuned! Best regards, *The HULKs Team* Hamburg University of Technology

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🌍🤖 SPL x Humanoid – Common Challenge Discussion 🤖🌍 - May 3rd - 11:00 UTC
by Caron, Benjamin 22 Apr '25

22 Apr '25

Dear Teams, You're invited to a global community meeting on May 3rd at 11:00 UTC, bringing together teams from the Standard Platform League (SPL) and the Humanoid League (HL) to discuss and establish a common foundation for the joint challenge at RoboCup 2025. 📍 Location: Global RoboCup Discord in "General" voice channel 💬 Join here: https://discord.gg/dcFgqFTeCy 🕒 Time zone help: Time zone converter<https://www.worldtimebuddy.com/?qm=1&lid=100,6077243,2950159,3169070,215817…> ________________________________ 🗓️ Discussion Topics * Sharing of image datasets * Cross-league robot coordination for passing * Use of visual gestures for communication * Any other suggestions from participants ________________________________ This meeting is intended to be community-driven, with minimal involvement from the committees. Any outcomes from the discussion will be considered optional agreements, not official rule changes, and it's up to each team to adopt them voluntarily. 📝 Meeting notes will be made publicly available at: https://spl.robocup.org/downloads/ Looking forward to your participation and collaboration! Best regards, The SPL and HL Committees

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[RoboCup HL] Official 2025 Rulebook now available!
by Sebastian Stelter 14 Apr '25

14 Apr '25

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