[robocup-humanoid] Soccer turf for Humanoid league

[Reinhard Gerndt]

Dear All,

a couple of weeks ago, we provided a link to a company producing non-infill soccer turf. Last week we found another supplier of a suitable material. Both materials are compliant with our humanoid league rules and used for ‚real‘ soccer fields:

1. Lanosports from Belgium (www.lanosports.com <http://www.lanosports.com/>) sells a material ‚Profoot MXSi 4G‘ (http://www.lanosports.com/en/products/productoverview/sport/football/c-70 <http://www.lanosports.com/en/products/productoverview/sport/football/c-70>). Lanosports also sells a version with shorter ‚leaves‘, ‚MXSi 4G Club‘.

2. Greenfields from The Netherlands (www.greenfields.eu) sells a material named 'FT XP 32 nf' (http://www.greenfields.eu/sports-news/football-at-high-level-in-vienna/ <http://www.greenfields.eu/sports-news/football-at-high-level-in-vienna/>). 

We shortly tested small samples of both materials (see images below, Profoot MXSi 4G left and FT XP 32 nf right). Both materials impose some challenges on the walking of robots, with the Greenfields material being even slightly more challenging, possibly for being softer. Robots have to raise their feet higher and active balancing may be advantageous. Ball resistance is significantly larger than on felt carpet. Furthermore, for the Lanosports material, it is direction-dependent. Optical appearance may be in favor of the Lanosports material with more natural-looking two-tone ‚leaves‘. Greenfields company may possibly be more customer-oriented. Price indications were in the same range.

Interestingly Greenfields appears to have a process to ‚paint‘ field lines on artificial grass fields (in addition to the typical process with white inlays). They claim to do this for professional soccer as well. The paint is said to be non-permanent and may be erased.

If you worked with some soccer turf according to HL rules, that may be interesting for other teams, please share your experience on the humanoid list.

Kind regards

Reinhard Gerndt
(RoboCup HL TC)