[robocup-humanoid] RoboCup Humanoid League 2018 qualification results

[soroush sadeghnejad]

*Dear participants of the Humanoid League,*


The qualification results for RoboCup 2018 in Montreal, Canada are now
available online at

https://www.robocuphumanoid.org/hl-2018/teams/

This year, there were 39 applications (22 for KidSize, 9 for TeenSize, and
8 for AdultSize). For each application, the qualification material was
carefully reviewed by several members of the Technical Committee and rated
according to the criteria announced in the Call for Participation (CfP)
https://www.robocuphumanoid.org/hl-2018/call-for-participation/


*KIDSIZE, TEENSIZE, and ADULTSIZE QUALIFICATIONS*

As in the previous years, after reviewing of each submission, teams were
considered for qualification and ranked based on the quality of their
submission and the qualification criteria. Based on the average of the
reviewer grades, some teams are fully qualified, some are qualified for
drop-in games only, and some are requested for supplementary documents.

In KidSize and TeenSize, teams are being qualified for two different
competitions:

·  Team Competition – 16 Teams of KidSize and 8 teams of TeenSize robots
are fully qualified for this competition and have to provide a full robot
team to compete in the main tournament, starting with a number of round
robin games. Teams qualified for the team competition are automatically
qualified for the Drop-In competition as well and participation in the
Drop-In competition is considered obligatory.


·  Drop-In competition – 6 Teams of KidSize and 1 team of TeenSize robots
are qualified for this competition and should provide one robot for
competing in mixed teams with robots from other teams.


·  In AdultSize, 6 teams (+2 teams are requested for supplementary
documents) are being fully qualified for the 1 vs 1 team competition and
they are automatically qualified for the 2 vs 2 Drop-In competition as well
and can participate in the Drop-In competition which is considered
obligatory.

This year, the TC received TDPs from some teams which largely copied the
content of their previous year’s TDPs without any major changes and without
any proper quotations and self-citations. This practice is not only poor
academic style on the part of the authors, but it also detracts from the
perceived quality of the event, which is why the TC must insist that TDPs
be taken more seriously by all participants.

Based on the scientific perspective of the qualification process, the TDP
is a means to assess the scientific and technological strength of the
applying team. It enables teams inside and outside the HL access to their
recent progress in the field of humanoid robotics to improve their
scientific methodology and their technological development in an open,
cooperative way. For this reason, it is very important for teams to submit
a proper TDP which can reflect their recent activities for the upcoming
event. This does not imply that a TDP must be composed of entirely new
material. It is okay to reference and include material from past years as
long as the authors do not try to present them as new developments and
clearly indicate when they were first included in their previous TDPs. It
is also very important to highlight your new developments and point out how
they help you solve problems that you may have encountered in previous
designs.

*ROBOT INSPECTION*

All teams should be aware that the eligibility of a robot according to the
rules will, as always, depend on an on-site inspection during the set-up
days of the competition. Please refer to the draft of the updated rules at
https://www.robocuphumanoid.org/materials/rules/ for this year's
requirements for your humanoid robots. It must be stressed that rules
pertaining to the body plan of the robot apply equally to robots designed
and built by team members as well as commercially available robots.

*REFEREE DUTIES*

All teams are reminded that it is their responsibility to provide at least
one team member to perform the role of the referee during the competition.
Although a brief referee training will be held at the competition, all
referees are expected to have studied the updated rules for 2018 and to
have trained on their own before coming to Nagoya.

*OFFICIAL LETTERS OF QUALIFICATION*

Official letters of qualification will be e-mailed to team leaders shortly.
All qualified teams are expected to submit an email confirming their
commitment to participate as soon as they have confirmed their funding. A
deadline for this will be provided in your letter.

Please note that the letters provided to you by the Technical Committee may
not be used for the purpose of requesting a visa. Only letters provided to
you by the Local Organizing Committee of RoboCup 2018 after you have
completed your registration may be used for this purpose.

*EDITORIAL PROCESS*

The team description papers (TDPs) of all teams will be included in the
proceedings DVD of the RoboCup 2018 Symposium if (and only if) they are in
LNCS standard format and are 8 pages maximum, see
https://www.robocuphumanoid.org/hl-2018/call-for-participation, and have
been revised to reflect the review comments from the TC members. Team
leaders will be contacted shortly by the Technical Committee with details
about any necessary changes to their TDP.


We are looking forward to meeting you for an exciting RoboCup 2018 in
Montreal, Canada!

Our best regards,

The Humanoid League Technical Committee

(Hafez, Jacky, Ludovic, Maike, Reinhard, Reinaldo Sander, and Soroush)
‌