Video: RoboCup robot soccer history 1997 - 2011

RoboCup is an international initiative to foster interdisciplinary research and education in robotics, artificial intelligence, computer science, and engineering. We focus on the challenges of multi-robot systems, where robots cooperate with each other and when needed with humans to achieve goals in complex and uncertain environments, such as robot soccer, as RoboCupSoccer, robot rescue, as RoboCupRescue, and the wide spectrum of robot applications in daily life, as RoboCup@Home. We also include sponsored demonstrations that explore possible new scientific challenges, such as collaborative logistics. Furthermore, we are committed to contribute to the education of children in robotics: RoboCupJunior provides an exciting introduction to science and engineering for children. Overall, RoboCup is a large vibrant community, composed of university faculty and student researchers and engineers, school teachers, children, and parents. RoboCup serves as a substrate to a wide variety of academic entreprises, ranging from courses and class projects to undergraduate, Masters, and PhD research theses. RoboCup has an international annual event consisting of robot competitions and a symposium. RoboCup has consistently grown, from a few hundred participants in 1997 to close to 3,000 in 2011. This 5mn video very specifically illustrates the RoboCup Robot Soccer Leagues and their technical evolution through these 14 years of research, development and competitions. The video is organized according to the four robot soccer leagues, namely the “Small-Size League,” (SSL) the “Middle-Size League,” (MSL) the “Standard Platform League,” (SPL) and the “Humanoids League.” Covering the 14-year evolution of four robot leagues in a 5mn video was clearly a challenging task, which we attacked with enthusiasm. We thank the help of Joydeep Biswas (SSL), Fernando Ribeiro (MSL), Brad Hall (SPL), and Marcell Missura and Ricarda Steffens (Humanoids). We hope that the general robotics community appreciates the effort in the celebration of the IROS Jubilee.