May 2026 - RoboCup-nao - lists.robocup.org

RoboCup Humanoid Soccer League May Newsletter No.2
by Francesco Petri 26 May '26

26 May '26

Dear HSL Teams, We are now barely over a month away from the World Championship in Incheon. We have a few announcements to help everyone prepare at their best for the first worldwide event of the Humanoid Soccer League. <https://md.fachschaften.org/Kni9kv56SxW_p8Vqg4SHeA?both#Rules-release>Rules release We are pleased to announce the 1.0 release of the HSL rules. We expect this release to represent the definitive version of the function of the rules. There will be a follow-up release closer to the competition that will focus on proofreading and clearing inconsistencies, but the core mechanics of the rules will not change. You can read the current release at https://github.com/RoboCup-HumanoidSoccerLeague/HSL-Rules/releases/tag/rule…, and the latest work-in-progress at https://github.com/RoboCup-HumanoidSoccerLeague/HSL-Rules/blob/main/Rules.p… <https://md.fachschaften.org/Kni9kv56SxW_p8Vqg4SHeA?both#Open-Research-Chall…>Open Research Challenge RoboCup 2026 will host an optional Open Research Challenge dedicated to showcasing contributions for the benefit of the league. Teams can present any work of theirs that they believe is relevant to the community, even if it’s not directly related to winning games. Contributions on the topic of safety are especially welcome. You can read the latest version of the challenge rules at https://github.com/RoboCup-HumanoidSoccerLeague/HSL-Rules/blob/main/Challen… We hope to see numerous contributions to help the development of our newly born league. <https://md.fachschaften.org/Kni9kv56SxW_p8Vqg4SHeA?both#Registration-remind…>Registration reminder We would like to remind the teams that the normal registration deadline is *one week from now*, on *June 2nd*. During the late registration period, only already-registered teams will be able to add members, while *new teams will be unable to register*. Please make sure your team is registered by the deadline. You should have received a registration link in your team’s email. If you have any questions, please reach out to registration(a)robocup.org or on Discord. <https://md.fachschaften.org/Kni9kv56SxW_p8Vqg4SHeA?both#Jersey-submission-r…>Jersey submission reminder The other close deadline is that for jersey design submission, which is due by *June 1st*. Teams that haven’t submitted a design should do so as soon as possible by sending an email to hsl_tc(a)lists.robocup.org As per the previous newsletter, robots must maintain neutral, non-reflective bodies and wear tank top-style jerseys covering at least 50% of the upper body. These jerseys must feature a clear primary color, display unique player numbers on both the front and back, and remain easily distinguishable from the opposing team and officials. Goalkeepers must be uniquely marked, and while sponsorship logos are permitted, they must not interfere with the primary color or visibility of player numbers. Each team is required to provide two distinct solid color designs for approval; please ensure these jersey designs are submitted to the TC mailing list by the June 1st deadline. Mock-up designs are also acceptable. Best regards, Francesco Petri on behalf of the HSL Technical Committee -- *Fai crescere le giovani ricercatrici e i giovani ricercatori*** *con il 5 per mille alla Sapienza* Scrivi il codice fiscale dell'Università *80209930587 **Cinque per mille <https://www.uniroma1.it/it/node/23149>*

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Quori Community Gathering @ ICRA 2026
by Ross Mead 24 May '26

24 May '26

Hello colleagues! We are planning an informal, in-person gathering sometime June 1-5 (TBD) at ICRA 2026 in Vienna, Austria for current and prospective members of the Quori robotics community. All are welcome! Quori is an NSF-funded, not-for-profit, open-everything, modular, social robot platform for the robotics research community (https://quori.org). The gathering at ICRA will serve as an opportunity to meet with colleagues interested in the Quori robot platform and to network with other researchers interested in human-robot interaction and general robotics. Please RSVP to the Google Form HERE <https://forms.gle/B4VKQE3tQuf2gkUD8> to express your interest and availability, and we’ll get back to you ASAP with a proposed time and location. You are encouraged to forward this to anyone you think might be interested in Quori. Additionally, we will also host a virtual meeting shortly after ICRA 2026 for the broader Quori community. At the virtual meeting, we will (1) provide Quori development updates; (2) invite research groups to optionally share a summary of their ICRA presentations; and (3) outline plans for cost, timeline, and distribution of Quori units. We will follow up with more information. Please let us know if you have any questions or comments. Thanks and we hope to see you at ICRA 2026 and/or at the Quori community virtual meeting! -- The Quori Project Team * Ross Mead (Semio) * Bill Smart (Oregon State University) * Mark Yim (University of Pennsylvania) * Simon Kim (University of Pennsylvania) * Naomi Fitter (Oregon State University)

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RoboCup Humanoid Soccer League May Newsletter
by Sam Griffiths 13 May '26

13 May '26

Greetings Humanoid Soccer League (HSL) Teams! As we move closer to our historic debut in Incheon, South Korea, we have several critical operational updates for all qualified and participating teams. Please review these five key areas to ensure your team is ready for the pitch this June. 1. Jerseys (Extended Submission Due Date: June 1st) Per Rule 4.1, robots must maintain neutral, non-reflective bodies and wear tank top-style jerseys covering at least 50% of the upper body. These jerseys must feature a clear primary color, display unique player numbers on both the front and back, and remain easily distinguishable from the opposing team and officials. Goalkeepers must be uniquely marked, and while sponsorship logos are permitted, they must not interfere with the primary color or visibility of player numbers. Each team is required to provide two distinct solid color designs for approval; please ensure these jersey designs are submitted to the TC mailing list by the June 1st deadline. 2. The Booster Robotics Robot Pool We are excited to confirm the Booster Robotics Robot Pool for HSL 2026. This initiative supports teams that may not yet have their own full fleet of hardware. Available Models: A pool of K1 and T1 humanoid models will be provided by Booster Robotics. For teams that bring 2 K1 robots, they will be eligible to receive up to 3 robots from the pool. For teams that bring 1 T1 robot, they will be eligible to receive up to 2 robots from the pool. For more information, contact Booster Robotics directly. 3. Shipping Information Logistics planning for transporting your robots to South Korea is now underway. Visit https://2026.robocup.org/news/?q=%2Fnews%2F&mod=document&uid=5 for more information. 4. Updated Penalty Rules: Improving Game Safety and Clarity The penalty system has been restructured to better distinguish between tactical fouls and safety violations. Standard in-game infractions are now signaled with a blue card and result in a time penalty. For more serious concerns involving dangerous behavior that risks damage to the field, participants, or other robots, referees will issue yellow or red cards to specific robots. While yellow cards serve as a warning for high-risk play, a direct red card will be issued at the referee’s discretion if a collision causes actual damage or if there is a high danger of recurrence. These changes ensure a safer environment while keeping the game fluid for all teams. 5. Team Posters Every team is encouraged to bring a physical poster to the competition. Format: Preferred A3 format. A4 and similar US formats are also accepted. The poster must be containing the team’s contribution, focused on the current year, to the RoboCup event to share their contributions with the other teams. Teams are responsible for printing their own posters and bringing them to the competition. Best Regards, Sam Griffiths On behalf of the HSL Technical Committee

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