[robocup-legged] Rule Changes and Poll

[Richard Middleton]

I would like to add (but I'll keep it brief) my views on the
discussion:

The question of what to do with the 2007 competition I think is
difficult. Given the substantial sensory and processing limitations of
the current hardware, we seem to have the choice between:
(i) something close to (or the same as) 2006 rules (though already with
a major, and I think very good, change to the appearance of the goals):
this should give much better quality of play, though perhaps to the
organisers, this doesn't look as sexy, since it will appear similar to
previous years. However, I actually think we have already made major
progress in removing some unnatural markings and barriers.
(ii) making a substantial change - in this case to do with the field
markers. Already, even the best teams make at least some substantial
localisation mistakes and this will only get worse. This may look better
to the RoboCup trustees (and that is important); but in terms of genuine
advancement of soccer, I would question the value of this - the effect
may well be that localisation becomes the achille's heal of all teams,
and it dictates that more advanced team play is not possible.
Note: I regard complete removal of beacons as very UN-natural. In real
soccer, there are six flags placed on the field (4 corners, plus two
placed 1m from the side at half way. Unobstructed soccer players can see
these from anywhere on the field). The flags are non-uniquely coloured,
but players can often see (if not focussing downwards) 2 or 3 at a time.
Given that we are not playing with a single light source (to allow
direction information to be inferred) and that the Aibos have no
gyroscopic sensors, the use of colour coding to permit the robots to
more easily infer their orientation seems to me to be a minor
concession, but in some ways, is more realistic.

Rick Middleton
NUbots


Professor Richard H. Middleton
ARC Centre for Complex Dynamic Systems and Control
The University of Newcastle, 2308
Australia
phone: +61249216033
fax: +61249601712
mobile: +61438621156
email: rick.middleton at newcastle.edu.au
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Do not repay evil with evil'
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------