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CfP RoboCup German Open 2026
by Nicolai Ommer 03 Dec '25

03 Dec '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 11 th 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. ------------------------------- 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 ---------------------------- Co-located Events ------------------------------------------------------ Parallel to the RoboCup German Open 2026 the second German Robotics Conference of the Robotics Institute Germany (RIG) will take place. The conference will bring together the leading German researchers in AI-based robotics. The education fair “didacta”, will also take place in Halls 6 to 8, between March 10-14, 2026. All participants will also have access to didacta. ---------------------------- 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* <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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Fwd: [RoboCup-worldwide] RoboCup German Open 2026 - Save the Date 10 - 14/03/26
by Nicolai Ommer 12 Nov '25

12 Nov '25

---------- Forwarded message --------- Von: Ferrein, Alexander Antoine via RoboCup-worldwide < robocup-worldwide(a)lists.robocup.org> Date: Mi., 12. Nov. 2025 um 07:55 Uhr Subject: [RoboCup-worldwide] RoboCup German Open 2026 - Save the Date 10 - 14/03/26 To: robocup-worldwide(a)lists.robocup.org <robocup-worldwide(a)lists.robocup.org > *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. -- Prof. Dr. Alexander Ferrein Mobile Autonomous Systems & Cognitive Robotics Institute Robotics and Foundations of Computer Science FH Aachen - University of Applied Sciences Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology Eupener Strasse 70 | 52066 Aachen | Germany T: +49 241 6009 51904 | F: +49 241 6009 52190 E: ferrein(a)fh-aachen.de | W: www.ferrein.fh-aachen.de Speaker Major Competitions of the RoboCup German Regional Committee W: www.robocup.de Former Vice-Chair of the African-German Network of Excellence in Science A Network of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation W: www.agnes-h.org _______________________________________________ RoboCup-worldwide in RoboCup.org Mailing list To send a message to this list send email to robocup-worldwide(a)lists.robocup.org To unsubscribe send an email to robocup-worldwide-leave(a)lists.robocup.org

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RoboCup 2026 - Meet the Committee!
by Emy Ganzeboom 22 Oct '25

22 Oct '25

Dear Small Size League community, As we look back on RoboCup 2025 in Salvador, Brazil, we do so with pride and perspective. It was a memorable edition, filled with innovation, collaboration, and the unmistakable spirit of our Small Size League community. The announcement that our league will conclude on the international stage after 2027 marks a defining point in our shared history. Even so, our immediate focus continues: preparing for RoboCup 2026 in Incheon, South Korea. While the long-term future rightfully draws attention, the work ahead for 2026 remains essential. A different email with an update to our general state of mind regarding the future and some of the questions raised in the survey (as well as its general results) will follow soon. We recognize that the coming years may bring uncertainty and hard choices for some teams. We respect each team’s path and thank everyone for their continued dedication. Our goal is to make all future editions of RoboCup SSL just as purposeful and inclusive. With that in mind, we are pleased to introduce the organizing, technical, and executive committees for RoboCup 2026 in Incheon, South Korea. This dedicated group is already hard at work to ensure another engaging and inspiring competition. You can learn more about them in the attached file. Kind regards, The Small Size League Committees

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SSL Community Meeting - Slides and Surveys
by Emy Ganzeboom 18 Aug '25

18 Aug '25

Dear SSL Community, Thank you for joining today’s SSL Community meeting. It was great to see so many teams represented and to have an open conversation about the upcoming changes to our league. Your engagement and input are essential for moving forward together. As promised, you can find the slide deck from the meeting via this link: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/18JJsEyRWgVhZHaZA-gD26b-0A-NQkX_atpr… A refined transcript from the Q&A of the meeting will be sent out soon. To better understand your perspectives, concerns, and experiences, we have prepared three surveys: - SSL Changes – Team Survey (please submit one per team): https://forms.gle/DrqSRpWbdttZgYKv5 - SSL Changes – Individual Survey (anyone can fill out): https://forms.gle/E7gRL1qgmj2n8P4E6 - Team Demographics: https://forms.gle/LcvLwY76n9oN8aLa9 We would greatly appreciate your input. It will help us gain a clearer picture of your team’s and the league’s needs and allows us to better understand how we can support our community moving forward. Feel free to include questions that you already asked during the meeting to allow us to get the full picture of all concerns and questions. Please complete the surveys by August 22nd AoE. We are here for you. If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions that you don’t see fit for the survey, please don’t hesitate to reach out. You can reach the OC, TC, and EC via email. If you are unsure which email to pick, just write to all three. - Organizing Committee: rc-ssl-oc(a)lists.robocup.org - Technical Committee: rc-ssl-tc(a)lists.robocup.org - Executive Committee: rc-ssl-ec(a)lists.robocup.org <rc-ssl-tc(a)lists.robocup.org> If you want to discuss certain topics related to the SSL changes with the SSL community or other communities within RoboCup, join these discord servers: - RoboCup SSL: https://discord.gg/t724m8c - RoboCup Official: https://discord.gg/tde42GSBFE - RoboCup Junior: https://robocup-junior.github.io/soccer-rules/discord/ - RoboCup Humanoid: https://discord.gg/kzRYabzs Let’s keep working together to make the SSL the best it can be. Thank you once again for your time, ideas, and dedication. Kind regards, SSL OC/TC/EC

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Major Updates Regarding the Future of the Small Size League
by Nicolai Ommer 30 Jul '25

30 Jul '25

Dear SSL RoboCup Teams, There are major upcoming changes to RoboCup Soccer that affect the SSL and its members. What is Happening? To start, the trustees are taking substantial action to streamline RoboCup Soccer in pursuit of the 2050 goal of playing a match against the World Cup winner. The first and most substantial change is that all soccer leagues will be converging on humanoid (bipedal) robots by 2028. The new leagues will be related to humanoid robotics and simulation only. The Small Size League will no longer be a major category event after the 2027 RoboCup (the SSL will be at the 2027 event, and not at the 2028 event and after). This is true for many of the other leagues, and there will be substantial changes to the humanoid rules and non-soccer events as well. The official press release from the RoboCup federation can be found here: https://www.robocup.org/news/181 The SSL community has several transition paths forward. We understand each team is unique, and will have team specific concerns. We have two major paths forward right now: SSL regional events, possibly with Junior collaboration, and transition to humanoid league. We have explicitly been told by the trustees we are invited to continue our league under the RoboCup name at regional events after 2027. Our community already has several strong regional events including the German Open, RoboCup Brazil, and the Japan Open. The EC/TC/OC believes we have strong support from the organizers of these regionals, though work will need to be done to transition to and support these events if additional teams attend. The committee is evaluating ways to keep the international community together, like by selecting one regional per year, after 2027, as a “super regional” that would rotate among the current regional events similar to the international event. The trustees have also begun a transition plan for teams who would like to switch to one of the humanoid leagues and remain on the world event stage. For teams looking to transition quickly, the trustees are working to get discounts and collaborative use of commercial bipedal robot platforms. We will communicate additional details about the humanoid rules and transition assistance as it becomes available. Expect additional communication directly from the governing bodies of global RoboCup. We may also have an opportunity to convert the SSL to a simplified bridging league in Junior, with the intention of creating a pipeline of students from RoboCup Junior, through the SSL, into humanoid. If this succeeds, we will likely still hold regional events, but then will also have a presence on the world stage in some form, though not in the major event category. This is an evolution of the collaboration games we have been hosting with Junior for the past few years. The committees are working hard to quickly determine what this will look like. We understand these are big changes and they may come as a surprise to all of you. The committee members only just found out about the new direction during this year's RoboCup, as the overall desires of the RoboCup trustees became more clear. What to expect in the coming months. Obviously, things will be changing. The committees will be hosting a meeting for teams that could not attend the competition, and for teams that would like to meet with us again. This meeting will take place on August 9th. We will announce the time soon. It will cover the same content that was covered in the Open TC/OC meeting in Brazil. We will have time for questions at the end. After, expect a series of short surveys about transition paths and team concerns. This will help us support you, regardless of what path makes sense for your team. Second, expect technical challenges and other requests from the committee to look differently. The things we ask you to do may shift focus to better support strong regionals. The committees have always and will always support our community and teams. It has been amazing getting to know each and every one of you. You and your teams make our SSL community special. We have over two years to develop our plans and make sure teams are healthy. We are working hard for you. Feel free to email us directly with specific concerns or questions, even though we may not have answers right now. We are committed to clear and timely communication as new information becomes available. We look forward to seeing everyone in South Korea for next year’s major event! Best Regards, SSL EC/TC/OC Nicolai Ommer Tobias Heineken Leonardo da Silva Costa Emiel Steerneman Joao Guilherme Oliveira Carvalho de Melo William Stuckey David Brand Emy Ganzeboom Lucas Cavalcanti

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Presentation for Junior - Major Committee Meeting
by David Brand 16 Jul '25

16 Jul '25

Hi, I have started with a draft for the Presentation of the Cooperation between major and junior this evening and am currently still working on filling it. Nonethelesse, please have a look at it and add additional things, as well as correct things: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/15T91coH-2V5sCZrwMavAp1KP6mBrJWqedEo… Bets regards, David.

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Open OC/TC Meeting Road Map and Slide Deck
by Will Stuckey 16 Jul '25

16 Jul '25

Hello Everyone, As part of the open OC/TC meeting, we usually discuss the future of the league. The OC and TC have prepared a draft of a 5 year roadmap and have also prepared a slide deck (which we may not be able to present) summarizing a plan we have to take the league forward. This is a guide for discussion, not a final document. We would like feedback at the OC/TC meeting. For any team who would like to give extended feedback, we also welcome replies to this email. As detailed in the documents, we have identified three possible major thrusts for improvement: 1. Improving the new and young team experience 2. Improving motion control through benchmarking 3. Exploring and integrating novel AI Links included Road Map Document: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CkvQC72z7nOF-CXU_ZERyf2YjiO2FxNZG9BaXuB… Summary Slide Deck: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1OiC37CqpEBelR_R5LyKga_e_RLm2oHcN/ed… We look forward to hearing your thoughts at the meeting and via email. Best, Will + OC/TC

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Technical Challenge : Obstacle Avoidance scenarios
by Emiel Steerneman 15 Jul '25

15 Jul '25

Dear teams, Apologies for the previous email. I pressed some secret *send-this-email-out-immediately *keybinding. Attached to this mail you will find the 9 scenarios for the obstacle avoidance technical challenge. Note that there are *no *virtual lines between any robots in these scenarios. If you have not signed up yet for either or both of the technical challenges <https://ssl.robocup.org/history-of-technical-challenges/>, you can do so via the link <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1WkwqbklRrxbV9sm3unPaqdBr0mw-JFMI-Lw_FB5UPm…> below. If your team will not attend any technical challenges, please also fill this out via the link below. The signup deadline is *today, July 15th, 20:00 o’clock BRT(Salvador local time).* Signup link https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1WkwqbklRrxbV9sm3unPaqdBr0mw-JFMI-Lw_FB5UPm… <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1WkwqbklRrxbV9sm3unPaqdBr0mw-JFMI-Lw_FB5UPm…> Best regards, Emiel Steerneman - TC

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Technical Challenge : Obstacle Avoidance scenarios
by Emiel Steerneman 15 Jul '25

15 Jul '25

Dear teams, Attached to this mail you will find the 9 scenarios for the obstacle avoidance technical challenge. Note that there are *no *virtual lines between any robots in these scenarios. If you have not signed up yet either or both of the technical challenges, you can do so via the link below. Also, pl https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1WkwqbklRrxbV9sm3unPaqdBr0mw-JFMI-Lw_FB5UPm…

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First day of set up!
by Carla Cosenza 15 Jul '25

15 Jul '25

Hello! Welcome everyone to the first day of set up at RoboCup Salvador! Here is the link to the welcome packet<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dM94b3HAYNjhw33NID7ebjI_1O5GGuKGgA-kuiV…> that is also found on your allocated work table. It has all the links necessary for the event. Please do take a look as the updated schedule is there! Please do not use the field until further notice! Happy to see all of you, Carla Cosenza RoboCup Small Size League | Organizing Committee

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RC 2025 one week out
by David Brand 08 Jul '25

08 Jul '25

Hello, Since the competition is one week from now, we want to send you another update Radio Information Request Please fill out the radio information survey so we know what radio technologies your team is using. This will let us allocate you a frequency and deconflict teams and the venue. The link is: https://forms.gle/eyNMYQga9B4DdseU8 Technical Challenges This year we will be hosting two technical challenges. The [team vs. team passing challenge](https://robocup-ssl.github.io/technical-challenge-rules/2025-ssl-team-vs-team-passing-challenge.html) with an updated ranking system open for teams from both divisions. On top of that, we will have a new [obstacle avoidance challenge](https://robocup-ssl.github.io/technical-challenge-rules/2025-ssl-obstacle-avoidance-challenge.html), which is only open for Div B teams. If you want to participate in at least one challenge please submit your intent via the corresponding [form](https://forms.gle/sd6ADCTkkcYU6DuY6) until July 15th, 20:00 o’clock BRT(Salvador local time). Award Voting Like last year we will be doing the voting this year via online forms. As we especially wanted to give you more time to evaluate the Open Source Submissions as well as the (E)TDPs, we also already set up the voting forms for both of them: - [Open Source Ballots](https://forms.gle/ktxk2gXsWgGgEQfM8) - [Best (E)TDP](https://forms.gle/yZEzGtcZLzgySHQ57) But as in the previous years the voting will only be due during the RoboCup as the Open Source Presentation is an essential part of the award. Also as last year you will be getting a unique team code, so that malicious votes can be eliminated. In case you already want to look at the questions beforehand, feel free to use “test” as team name as well as the unique code, which allows us to easily delete these votes. Referee Quiz As a quick reminder from the last mail, every team participating in the RoboCup2025 needs to be able to fill out their assigned impartial roles for matches, when they do not play. These members have to take the [referee quiz](https://forms.gle/8frZcLYPx5o3KVF29) beforehand. In case you have any open questions or any trouble during your travel, please let the OC/TC know as soon as possible. This allows us to see whether we can help you in any way. See you in Salvador! David, on behalf of the SSL committee

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Call for Scientific Publication Updates in SSL (pls submit until July 11th 🥺)
by Masahide ITO 08 Jul '25

08 Jul '25

Hi everyone, We would like to know the latest updates of your scientific publications. This is very important not only to share scientific and engineering results with you all but also for the SSL to show the presence in the RoboCup community. If you published international conference papers and journal papers within one year, please submit the information at the following link: https://forms.gle/R3zSRzxecyPwtoPD6 It would be great to submit *until July 11th*. The collected information will be published at the scientific publications page of the SSL website, i.e., https://ssl.robocup.org/scientific-publications/ Thank you! Masa School of Information Science and Technology Aichi Prefectural University 1522-3 Ibaragabasama, Nagakute, Aichi 480-1198, JAPAN Phone: +81-561-76-8600 (direct) / Fax: +81-561-64-1108 (share) Email: masa-ito(a)ist.aichi-pu.ac.jp

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RoboCup 2025 – Open Source Award Submission The A-Team
by Matt 02 Jul '25

02 Jul '25

Hello league-mates, This year, The A-Team would like to submit ssl_ros_bridge for the Open Source Award. https://github.com/SSL-A-Team/ssl_ros_bridge ssl_ros_bridge is a small collection of ROS2 utilities to help teams using ROS connect to SSL league software interfaces. It provides bridge nodes which manage network connections to ssl-vision and ssl-game-controller, exposing ROS topics and services mirroring the protobuf packets used by the league software. We hope this open source software will especially help new teams get started with SSL software without having to learn our league's network protocols in detail. It is offered as its own repository to make including it in other team's software easier. Thank you for your consideration, ~Matthew Barulic The A-Team

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RC 2025 two weeks out
by David Brand 01 Jul '25

01 Jul '25

Hi, As every year during the weeks before the RoboCup the number of mails increases and we just have a new one with more info for you: Schedule Using the random numbers 8902 and 5478, as by https://www.random.org/integers/?num=2&min=1&max=10000&col=5&base=10&format…, we got the following groups for the Division B tournament: ==== Grouping ==== Group A: - The-A-Team (USA) - ITAndroids (Brazil) - RoboFEI (BrazilB) - The-Bots (Canada) Group B: - RoboJackets (USA) - DelftMercurians (Netherlands) - Sysmic (Chile) - WarthogRobotics (Brazil) Based on that seeding, we have already updated the [official schedule](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1uNMfJM_ZOfLf-vYniD9r53NEZ… to represent the two groups and also added the Div A match groupings.. Referee Quiz To be allowed to fill in one of the impartial roles (assistant / main Referee, Game Controller Operator, Vision expert) during the official matches, you need to complete this year's referee quiz before the first competition day: https://forms.gle/J89PC24xrYohL8Xe9 Since all teams will need to take turns in filling in the impartial roles, if not at least two members of your team completed the quiz, your team can be excluded from the competition. Communication For the textbased communication during the RoboCup we will be using the [ssl mailing list](https://lists.robocup.org/mm/lists/robocup-small.lists.robocup.org/), as well as the [SSL discord](https://discord.gg/t724m8c) server. Especially for fast paced announcements from us, but also for communicating with the other teams the discord server is quite crucial. Therefore in case from your team not multiple, or ideally all, members joined both communication lines yet, please consider to do so. This helps us, as well as you, to be sure that you get critical information as soon as possible and in case that one team member might not read it, the others can forward the relevant information. In addition there is also an official Discord Server for the whole RoboCup, that is not just for this year's tournament, but also for other events, general exchanges during the year and more. In case you would like to join it, feel free to use this link: https://discord.gg/q4AfnY7fx6 Its goal is not to be a replacement of the SSL Discord Server but more an addition to communicate with members from other leagues and for RoboCup wide information. Colored robot hulls As you might have seen the Black and White Hulls rule got updated and is now called [Color of Robots](https://robocup-ssl.github.io/ssl-rules/sslrules.html#_color_of_robots). With this update the requirements about the size of the area changing the color got updated to accommodate smaller robots and is also a bit more relaxed with the usage of colors for differentiation. If you already implemented the Black and White Hull rule you should be fine and also compliant with it after its update. This year we will be very lenient, when validating the robots for tournament suitability, but have a look at them nonetheless, as the compliance with the rule will be part of the robot approval process from the next year on. What to bring Network: This year you will be provided with ONE ethernet plug for your team at the field, as well as ONE at your team table. Since that won’t be enough connection points for your whole team, please bring your own routers/switches. This is especially important, as personal wifis should be banned at the venue and it is yet not known to us whether there will be a public wifi. Power: Brazil uses the type N and C power plugs and outlets. Although the usual voltage used in Salvador is 127V / 60Hz, the outlets in the venue will supply 220 V / 60 Hz. Please check if your equipment supports both standards, especially the later one. In case you need more info, the local organizers have compiled all needed info on their homepage under the section [power and sockets](https://2025.robocup.org/practical-information/). General information: As some of our teams and adjacent leagues use the 2.4 GHz frequency range to control the robots, please avoid using wireless peripherals, like bluetooth headphones, mice, etc. in the same frequency range and therefore prefer to bring wired solutions. In addition to your robots you also need a machine for your central software. Since you may need to move your equipment from the competition to the practice field, a powerful laptop instead of a full size TowerPC is usually more convenient. As we need all teams to use the same color paper on top of their robots for a good calibrated vision setup, you will need to change the color paper at the venue. While we will provide you with the color paper you should bring the equipment you need to fabricate the round blobs as well as to change them inside your hull. If you have any open questions, feel free to reach out to the OC/TC, See you in Salvador! David, on behalf of the SSL committee

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RoboCup 2025 - Open Source Award Submission ER-Force
by Christoph Schmidtmeier 30 Jun '25

30 Jun '25

Hello everyone, ER-Force's submission for this year's Open Source Award is our framework ( https://github.com/robotics-erlangen/framework). This is the primary software we use to develop and test our AI. It is able to - receive and process real life vision data - simulate SSL games in a full physics simulation - connect to radio transceivers and control robots - create game recordings and play them back - run strategies written in Lua and TypeScript - display visualizations to help debug strategy decisions - …and much more. We have submitted it to the Open Source Award before, but we continue to maintain it, fix bugs and implement new features. Best regards, Christoph Schmidtmeier ER-Force

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RC 2025: Awards and Open Source Reminder
by David Brand 24 Jun '25

24 Jun '25

Hello, After the info yesterday about the tournament style and schedule we now also have more info regarding the awards. Excellence Award After internal discussions we decided not to change the Excellence Award this year. Therefore, just like last year, you are able to gain additional points for participating in the Technical Challenges, the Open Source Award as well as for contributing to SSL shared projects. Together with the points for the success in the tournament, as well as for the (E)TDP Quality, the team with the most points will win the Excellence Award. If you want to see the exact point distribution, have a look at the [Awards](https://ssl.robocup.org/robocups/robocup-2025/robocup-2025-awards/) homepage. Open Source Award As you have probably previously already seen, the deadline to submit your entrance to the Open Source Award has been moved to July 01st AoE (now only one week away!). This is to give the other teams more time to have a look into the submission and also try it for themself. In case you have missed the announcement of the Open Source Award, you can also find all needed info here: [Awards](https://ssl.robocup.org/robocups/robocup-2025/robocup-2025-awards/) All of the already made submission can be found [here](https://ssl.robocup.org/robocups/robocup-2025/robocup-2025-open-sourc… and the list will be continuously updated, so that you have a complete list for reference during the voting process Best (E)TDP Award As you might recall, we included a “Nomination for best (E)TDP award” question in the (E)TDP review process this year. This is intended to use the reviewers who had to read the (E)TDP already as a first screening, so that teams have to read fewer (E)TDPs for an informed decision about the best one. We have decided to nominate any (E)TDP for the award that got at least one nomination by their reviewers. This list is this year (in a random order): - The A-Team - ITAndroids - RobôCIn - ZJUNlict - Warthog Robotics - ER-Force - TIGERs Mannheim - RoboDragons We would ask all teams to have a look at these 8 (E)TDPs in preparation for the eventual vote in Salvador. If you have any open questions, feel free to reach out to the OC/TC, See you in Salvador! David and Tobi, on behalf of the SSL committee

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RC 2025: Tournament Style and Schedule
by David Brand 23 Jun '25

23 Jun '25

Hello, Since this year’s tournament is now only a couple of weeks away, we want to give you some information regarding the tournament schedule. General Tournament Timeline The local organization has already published the general timeline for the competition on their [homepage](https://2025.robocup.org/schedule/). The main information here is: Team Setup Days: Tuesday 15. - Wednesday 16. July Competition: Thursday 17. - Sunday 20. July Symposium: Monday 21. July (The venue will open on the tournament days from 8:00 on and will close from Tuesday to Saturday at 22:00) Tournament Style As we have a reduced number of teams this year, the style used this year got slightly adapted. Due to having only 5 Div A teams this year, the group stage will consist of only one group, where every team is playing once against each of the other teams. The knockout stage will be played in a double elimination stage, with all 5 teams taking part. With currently 8 teams in the Div B, the qualification stage will consist of two groups with each four teams, where all four teams are playing once against each other. In the knockout stage we will also have a double elimination system but start with all 8 teams. The teams will be drawn into groups using the SSL grouping tool (https://github.com/RoboCup-SSL/ssl-grouping). We have already updated the seeding pools for the Div B for this year's competition. The seeds are primarily determined by last year's results (https://ssl.robocup.org/robocups/robocup-2024/robocup-2024-results/), as well as the participation in previous RC tournaments. Since there are more than two Brazilian teams, but only two groups in Div B, we are unable to fully avoid teams from the same country competing against each other in the group stage. To solve this, we moved one of the Brazilian teams (RoboFEI) to their own nation (denoted as BrazilB in the seeding pool). While we understand this is slightly disappointing, we think this is a better compromise than ignoring the country of origin completely. Since in the Div A all teams will play against all others anyway, the correlation for T1 to T5 to teams is purely done by the ranking in last years competition and as following: T1: TIGERs Mannheim T2: ZJUNlict T3: ER-Force T4: RobôCIn T5: RoboDragons If you notice any issues with this seeding, please notify us before the 27th of June. This is important since we will draw groups on that day and we have a much harder time adjusting the seeding when the resulting groups are already available. As we always do, we will use random.org for the random seeds required for the tool. We will draw the groups using the pre-generated random numbers for the 27th of June (which will become available at https://www.random.org/integers/?num=2&min=1&max=10000&col=5&base=10&format… on that date) to seed our tool. (The numbers are used to seed Division B, as no numbers are required for Division A) Tournament Schedule The official SSL schedule for this years can be found here: [RoboCup 2025 Schedule - Official](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/d/1uNMfJM_ZOfLf-vYniD9r5… As the tournament days are quite packed, the technical challenges are currently planned to be primarily in the morning of the 16th. Also the slots for the Demo matches against Junior have been picked. Both of them will happen after each other on Saturday between 17:00 - 18:00. If you have any open questions, feel free to reach out to the OC/TC, See you in Salvador! David and Tobi, on behalf of the SSL committee PS: The local organization is also sending regular newsletters with important and interesting notes about the tournament and everything around it. Therefore please have a look for them. In case you didn't receive them, here are the ones, which have already been sent: [Newsletter #1](https://drive.google.com/file/d/149odDpmagt9dIJpBhQ9mJ2No8ISgJJYf/view?usp=sharing) [Newsletter #2](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1L1fcfvUgY-oj6_XfEETS3m0EzppYhP8-/view)

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RoboCup 2025 - Open Source Award Submission TIGERs Mannheim
by Felix Weinmann 20 Jun '25

20 Jun '25

Dear Small Size League, we are proud to present our 2025 open source award submission: The vision processor! https://github.com/TIGERs-Mannheim/vision-processor The vision processor aims to be a drop-in replacement for SSL-Vision. The shape based blob detector and decentralized software architecture is intended to minimize setup time and improve detection rates in uneven illumination conditions. Since the initial announcement on the SSL Discord 5 months ago, multiple tournaments have been completed using vision processor exclusively. Tigertastic greetings, TIGERs Mannheim

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RC2025: Junior Demo Matches
by David Brand 16 Jun '25

16 Jun '25

Hello! After the matches last year between TIGERs on behalf of the SSL and the Junior Soccer LightWeight and Open Leagues received positive attention and feedback, we want to host the matches this year again, deepening our cooperation to further increase knowledge transfer between both leagues. Since the junior teams will consist of robots from multiple teams again, we want to prove that the SSL can play with robots from multiple teams on a shared team as well. After a first test during the German Open ([Lifestream of the match](https://www.youtube.com/live/__ASDKObXNY?si=B_cGATAb3sl5xPfe&t=3087)), where TIGERs and ER-Force gave their best to split the responsibility on the field, we want to expand the circle of competing teams. Therefore we are currently looking for teams that are open to the challenge and would like to join the matches. As the junior bots are usually a bit more fragile than the SSL bots, all competing robots must be limited to the following values: - Max Robot speed: 2.0 - Max Robot acceleration: 2.0 - Max Ball speed: 2.5 In addition to that, the use of chip kicks is strictly forbidden.Disabling the chip kicks in hardware is strongly encouraged and preferred, but disabling it in software is also fine. To ensure that these limits are not violated, each SSL team will have to demonstrate compliance to these limits beforehand. The matches will take place on the main Div B field. Therefore, the ruleset used will be similar to the SSL Div B ruleset. As all junior bots will get equipped with vision patterns, and the GC will control the SSL bots and coordinate the matches. Expect some adaptations to improve the flow of the game by the refs or GCO, you should not need to adapt your AI or hardware beyond the safety limitations. Since the schedules of the involved leagues are still being finalized, we do not have a specific time for the demo yet. However, I expect it to take place on Friday or Saturday. Since we will need the main Div B field anyway, there is no need to worry about scheduling conflicts with other matches. However, since tournaments never run as expected, you can always withdraw from the challenge. If you have any questions regarding the matches or would like to join the matches feel free to reach out to the OC. Thanks, David. ------------ RoboCup Small Size League | OC Member

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Shared Radio Interest Form
by Will Stuckey 14 Jun '25

14 Jun '25

Hi Everyone, If your team is using 5GHz or 6GHz WiFi for robot control please fill out this survey. https://forms.gle/93JZhJzZCVa8ce1x6. The TC will be offering shared WiFi on the Division A and practice fields and would like to find teams interested in a shared WiFi scrimmage. Thanks, Will Stuckey

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RC2025 Cargo Shipment
by David Brand 12 Jun '25

12 Jun '25

Hi, We want to forward the request from the Local Organization: The company responsible for Cargo is talking with Brazilian customs to solve all the procedures to receive the team's payloads as quickly as possible. To accelerate this process, they are asking teams who contacted them to prove their registration to RoboCup 2025. In case you plan to ship your robots beforehand and already contacted the cargo company, please follow the request. In case you won't use the shipment option, but rather take the robots with you, you can ignore the request. Thanks, David. ------------ RoboCup Small Size League | OC Member

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Technical Challenge - Obstacle Avoidance
by Emiel Steerneman 08 Jun '25

08 Jun '25

Hello! The Technical Committee has finished working out the details for the Obstacle Avoidance challenge - DivB only. Please find the rules on our website <https://ssl.robocup.org/robocups/robocup-2025/robocup-2025-technical-challe…> . Thank you Emiel Steerneman RoboCup Small Size League | Technical Committee

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Awards and new Open Source Award deadline
by David Brand 14 May '25

14 May '25

Hello! As in the previous years, the awards for this year can be found on this years homepage: [RC 2025 - Awards](https://ssl.robocup.org/robocups/robocup-2025/robocup-2025-awards/) Like last year we will have the Excellence Award again, although the exact point system for this year is currently still in the works and going to be published in the next few weeks. New Open Source Award Submission Deadline: The submission deadline for this year's Open Source award is now 2 weeks before the start of the tournament and therefore July 01st(AoE). The submissions must still be sent to the [SSL Mailing List](robocup-small(a)lists.robocup.org), with the subject RoboCup 2025 - Open Source Award Submission <Your Team Name>. During the submission phase, we are going to collect all of them on the [Open Source Submission page](https://ssl.robocup.org/robocups/robocup-2025/robocup-2025-open-sourc…. After the submission deadline we are going to publish the voting ballots, so that each team can already start with the evaluation of the submissions. The presentation of the submissions as well as the voting deadline will still be during the RoboCup, so that everyone still has the possibility to discuss each submission and the submitting team is able to answer open questions in person. If you have any questions regarding the awards or this year's processes, please feel free to reach out to the SSL OC and TC. Thank you, David. ------------ RoboCup Small Size League | OC Member

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Registration Process RC2025
by David Brand 27 Apr '25

27 Apr '25

Hello, As many have perhaps already seen, the invitation mails for the registration have already been sent out. In case that your team has not received an email and has expected one, please reach out to the [SSL OC](rc-ssl-oc(a)lists.robocup.org) and we will look into it and get back to you as soon as possible. If you need to withdraw from the competition, please decline the Invitation via the button in the email and send the OC an email as well, since we are not sure whether we will be notified of the declined invitations and need to adapt the tournament schedule. Regarding the registration schedule, the deadline for the early registration is May 16th and the regular registration ends on June 13. After that comes the Late registration until June 30, in which you cannot register teams any longer and only can add additional team members. The confirmation for the paid registration as announced in the preliminary qualification email, is not needed any longer, since we were able to offer each qualified team a slot at the tournament. Nonetheless, it would be great to get notices about withdrawals rather soon, since changes to team numbers could have a rather big impact on the tournament structure and schedule. If you need an invitation letter for your visa, these will only be sent out, after you registered your team. Therefore, especially for the teams needing a visa, please register as soon as possible, so that you have enough time to acquire the needed visa. In case you want to know, whether you need a visa or not, have a look at the following document written by our three LOCs this year: https://silly-snowman-187.notion.site/Tips-for-RoboCup-2025-1760464cbae080c… In there you can also find additional information to the [RoboCup 2025](https://2025.robocup.org/) homepage regarding import regulations, accommodations and much more. In case you have any additional questions, feel free to contact the OC or our three LOC members [Pedro Pizzaro](pedro.gpizarro(a)gmail.com), [Joao Victor Aguiar](jv628911(a)gmail.com), [Joao Guilherme Oliveira Carvalho de Melo](jgocm(a)cin.ufpe.br) directly. Thank you, David (on behalf of the SSL Committees)

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Technical challenges
by Carla Cosenza 13 Apr '25

13 Apr '25

Hello! We are sorry about the delayed announcement of the technical challenges. We were trying to finish our goals and long term roadmap in order to align them but did not manage to. Due to that, we have opted for continuing one of the challenges from last year and having a DivB only challenge. Passing challenge The passing challenge from last year will be repeated. This year's rules will be the same as last year and can be found at https://robocup-ssl.github.io/technical-challenge-rules/2024-ssl-teams-vs-t…. The only difference this year will be the ranking system. In short, a team's ranking will not be determined by the total amount of passes made over all matches. It will be determined by relative strength over the opposing teams. A more detailed motivation and explanation can be found here https://github.com/emielsteerneman/passing_challenge_scoring. For any questions regarding this technical challenge, please reach out to TC member Emiel Steerneman. Obstacle avoidance challenge - DivB only 2025 is going to feature a DivB only technical challenge focussed on avoiding obstacles. To make sure that teams with faster robots do not win by default, the speed of the robots is limited to stop speed. Detailed rules are to come, but the most important points are below. * A team will control one robot at stop speed (1.5 m/s), with the objective to quickly reach the destination without touching the obstacles. * Obstacles can either be static, or also slow moving obstacles (significantly slower than the 1.5 m/s stop speed). * Expect robot-shaped, line-shaped or triangle-shaped obstacles. * The challenge will take place on half a div-B field. * To avoid pre-calculating the shortest path, the exact scenarios will be kept secret until shortly before the challenge takes place. * There will be multiple trials per scenario, and touching an obstacle ends a trial [so touching an obstacle has to be avoided at all cost]. * A (not used) example scenario will be published in May. Thank you Carla Cosenza RoboCup Small Size League | Organizing Committee

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