[robocup-humanoid] RobotShop - RoboCup Humanoid

[Jacky Baltes]

Hi,

That sounds like an ambitious project. It will be very hard to fit a
competitive robot for RoboCup HL into your budget..

On Thu, Mar 25, 2021 at 11:53 PM Coleman Benson <cbenson at robotshop.com>
wrote:

> Hello,
>
> My name is Coleman Benson, R&D PM at RobotShop. RobotShop’s objectives
> have always lined up very well with those of RoboCup in that we encourage
> students to learn about robotics while seeking to make robotics more
> mainstream and accessible. On the page describing the history of RoboCup,
> you include the following text:
>
> “An ongoing concern for RoboCup in general and the RoboCup humanoid league
> in particular is the fact that as the robots become increasingly more
> complex, it becomes more and more difficult for teams to be able to afford
> to participate in the RoboCup competition. This problem becomes more
> pressing by the fact that a full team of soccer players requires eleven
> players and therefore, the number of players is increased every couple of
> years. Members of the RoboCup community including the members of the TC of
> the Humanoid League and the trustees are well aware of this problem and
> there have been many attempts at fostering joint teams.”
>
> We would like to work with you to resolve this issue and achieve the
> objective of having a team of humanoid robots safely win a future soccer
> championship against humans. We are currently developing a humanoid robot
> platform based on Lynxmotion Smart Servo motors and aluminum bracket system
> with several goals in mind:
>
>    -
>
>    Create an affordable, all-in-one (~$2,500 USD MSRP), modular robotic
>    platform which meets the requirements for participating in the RoboCup
>    Humanoid KidSize competition
>    -
>
>    Ensure the platform is easy to use and customizable to attract more
>    students, and increase their chances of participation and success
>    -
>
>    Work with teams to improve the platform (hardware and software)
>    -
>
>    Work with RoboCup to ensure that the platform is or would be modified
>    to be compliant with future changes
>    -
>
>    Develop a network of teams and work with RoboCup to create a larger
>    humanoid platform for the adult-sized competition
>
>
> RobotShop owns Lynxmotion and is therefore in a position to modify and/or
> adapt the smart servos and bracket system to better suit team feedback. We
> would offer a discount for the prototype humanoid to teams participating in
> the RoboCup competition in addition to quantity pricing. We are also
> looking to provide free hardware to specific teams which can demonstrate
> that they are in a position to contribute to the humanoid’s development and
> its success within RoboCup.
>
> RobotShop is currently in discussion with Intel (RealSense), OpenCV (OAK
> cameras), NVidia (Jetson) regarding using their hardware in this platform.
> OpenBionics has provided prototypes and designs of hands which potentially
> fit the humanoid design very well. We are also working with individuals to
> progress the humanoid’s ROS 2.0 integration as well as the computer vision
> aspects of the humanoid.
>
> We look forward to your reply and insights,
>
> Coleman Benson B.Eng, B.Ed
> R&D Project Manager
>
> RobotShop inc., Putting Robotics at Your service! ®
> *Tel: 450-420-1446 x 2226*
> Fax : 450-420-1447
> Visit us : https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.robotshop.com%2F&data=04%7C01%7Crobocup-humanoid%40cc.gatech.edu%7C98ac54818e534936fc2408d8f31d6b05%7C482198bbae7b4b258b7a6d7f32faa083%7C0%7C0%7C637526654961703868%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=v5tCYbcI1pC%2BfmQnv9ioYOrno7gnxNK1D0I66K0Rte4%3D&reserved=0
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>
>

-- 
Prof. Jacky Baltes,
Skype, Twitter, Telegram: jacky.baltes
National Taiwan Normal University
162 Heping E. Rd., Sec. 1, Taipei 10610, Taiwan
Tel: +886 -2-7734-3634
Email: jacky.baltes at ntnu.edu.tw