Tech United got underway with a few hiccups on Saturday in Montreal. When the soccer team playing for TU/e arrived at 8 o'clock for testing, it turned out that a soccer pitch had not yet been laid. Finally, after extensive discussions with the RoboCup organizers, the teams took matters (and the green carpet) into their own hands.

The first match day in the various robosport divisions on Monday was a busy one right away - and for the TU/e team successful as well. The soccer-playing robots from Eindhoven played four matches in their regular Middle Size League and managed to chalk up wins in all four - thanks in part to their scoring a total of 26 goals. Only against the Chinese WATER team did the Eindhoven squad have a harder time: the match was a narrow 3-2 victory for Tech United.

The Scientific Challenge too was won by the TU/e team. Each of the participating teams had ten minutes to present its latest developments to the others. According to MSL team leader Wouter Kuijpers, the Eindhoven robot soccer team impressed with, among other things, its accurate positioning and thus its better receiving of the ball.

Surprises

The team will now analyze the matches played and where necessary adapt its software, in order to prepare as best possible for any surprises its opponents might have up their sleeves in the coming days. According to Kuijpers, the Chinese team WATER is especially known for saving its strongest trumps to last, in an effort to overwhelm opponents when the gold is in sight, as he explained during the daily RoboCup talk show (no audio until 12.53) with the Flemish presenter Lieven Scheire.

In any event there is no lack of media interest in robot soccer, as the team leader also reported, before talking to Radio 538. Laughing: “That is no doubt because the Dutch team is not participating in the FIFA World Cup.”

Care robots want to catch up

In Montreal, Eindhoven's care robots Amigo and Sergio are also showing what they can do. Amigo opened a door for the first time during the Storing Groceries Challenge. For his part, little brother Sergio took his service role so seriously that during another task (the Help Me Carry Challenge) he didn't want to stop following a Tech United team member. At the end of the first day, the Eindhoven team was in fourth position in the @Home league, but they are determined to catch up.

Check the site and social channels of Tech United for all info and the latest updates, or tune in to the live stream.