When you think of footballing robots, do you picture some metal looking puppets standing on a pitch? Then it's time to adjust your image. Football robots actually do not have arms and legs, but three lightning-fast wheels. And they are not controlled from the sidelines, but are pre-programmed to play a game independently. So they don't need the Louis van Gaal magic.
Football with purpose
What they do need is a team of bright minds programming the robots. And that does involve strategic insight. Robin Soetens, the 'Louis van Gaal' of the Dutch robot team, says: "The strength of our game lies mainly in strategy and passing the ball around. Our team masters that like no other, but we also gave that lead away this year."
Giving away a lead? That's part of the game, Robin explains: "At the end of the tournament, all teams publish their hardware and software. Your knowledge belongs to everyone at that point, so you have to develop yourself for a win at a subsequent World Cup anyway. That is a nice trigger to keep improving and stimulates the ultimate goal: giving the robot a function within our daily lives."
Commotion around RoboCup
For years, the robot circus has toured around the world. In 2013, it touched down in Eindhoven, where none other than Queen Máxima came to watch the innovative spectacle. Who was also there? Capital Sports. We sponsored Tech United and handled communications around the World Robot Football Championship that year.
Partly thanks to the use of social media, billboards along the A2 motorway and a lot of media attention, the RoboCup managed to reach a huge audience that year. This made it a great success not only for the organisers, but also for the partners who had committed to the event. Thanks to strong signing and best-selling merchandise - all from Capital Sports - they came to the attention of a large number of people at home and abroad.
