Gearing up for RoboCupJunior: Interview with Ana Patrícia Magalhães

Motion from RoboCupJunior Rescue at RoboCup 2024. Photograph: RoboCup/Bart van Overbeeke.

The annual RoboCup occasion, the place groups collect from throughout the globe to participate in competitions throughout a lot of leagues, will this yr happen in Brazil, from 15-21 July. An necessary a part of the week is RoboCupJunior, which is designed to introduce RoboCup to high school youngsters, and sees a whole bunch of youngsters participating in quite a lot of challenges throughout completely different leagues. This yr, the lead organizer for RoboCupJunior is Ana Patrícia Magalhães. We caught up together with her to learn the way the preparations are going, what to anticipate at this yr’s competitors, and the way RoboCup conjures up communities.

Might you inform us about RoboCupJunior and the plans you might have for the competitors this yr?

RoboCup will happen from 15-21 July, in Salvador, Brazil. We anticipate to obtain individuals from greater than 40 nations, throughout the Junior and Main Leagues. We’re getting ready every thing to accommodate all the scholars participating in RoboCupJunior, who will take part within the Junior Leagues of Soccer, Rescue and OnStage. They’re youngsters and youngsters, so we now have organized shuttles to take them from the motels to the conference heart. We’ve additionally ready a handbook with suggestions about safety, locations they will go to, locations to eat. The thought is to supply all the mandatory assist for them, as a result of they’re so younger. We’re additionally organizing a welcome get together for the Juniors in order that they will expertise somewhat little bit of our tradition. It’ll hopefully be a great expertise for them.

The Juniors can be positioned on the primary degree of the mezzanine on the conference heart. They are going to be separate from the Main Leagues, who can be on the bottom ground. In fact, they’ll be capable of go to the Main Leagues, and speak to the scholars and different opponents there, however will probably be good for them to have their very own house. There may even be some mother and father and academics with them, so we determined to make use of this particular, devoted house.

RoboCupJunior On Stage at RoboCup 2024. Photograph: RoboCup/Bart van Overbeeke.

Do you might have any concept of roughly what number of groups can be participating?

Sure, so we’ll have about 48 groups within the Soccer Leagues, 86 groups within the Rescue Leagues, and 27 in OnStage. That’s a variety of groups. Every workforce has about three or 4 college students, and lots of the mother and father, academics and professors journey with them too. In whole, we anticipate about 600 individuals to be related to RoboCupJunior.

RoboCupJunior Soccer at RoboCup 2024. Photograph: RoboCup/Bart van Overbeeke.

Have you ever obtained extra RoboCupJunior members from Brazil this yr because of the location?

Sure, we now have many groups from Brazil competing. I don’t know the precise quantity, however there are positively extra Brazilian groups this yr, as a result of it’s rather a lot cheaper and simpler for them to journey right here. When we now have competitions in different nations, it’s costly for them. For instance, I’ve a workforce right here in Salvador that certified for the tremendous regional occasion within the US and our workforce couldn’t go. That they had certified, however they couldn’t go as a result of they didn’t have cash to pay for the ticket. Now, will probably be attainable for all of the Brazilian groups certified to take part as a result of it’s cheaper for them to come back right here. So it’s an enormous alternative for improvement and to reside the RoboCup expertise. It’s essential for kids and youngsters to share their analysis, meet individuals from different nations, and see what they’re doing, and what analysis path they’re following. They’re very grateful for the chance to have their work examined towards others. In a contest, it’s attainable to check your analysis with others. So it’s completely different from conferences the place you current a paper and present your work, however it’s not attainable to check and consider the outcomes with different related work. In a contest you might have this chance. It’s a great way to get insights and enhance your analysis.

RoboCupJunior Rescue at RoboCup 2024. Photograph: RoboCup/Bart van Overbeeke.

Your function at this RoboCup can be organizing RoboCupJunior. Are you additionally concerned within the Main Leagues?

Sure, so my essential function is organizing RoboCupJunior and I’m additionally one of many chairs of the RoboCup Symposium. Moreover, some groups from my laboratory are competing within the Main leagues. My workforce participates within the @Dwelling league, however I haven’t had a lot time to assist them not too long ago, with all of the preparations for RoboCup2025. Our laboratory additionally has groups from the 3d Simulation Soccer League, and the Flying Robots Demo. This would be the first time we’ll see a flying robotic demo league at a RoboCup.

We’ll even have two junior groups from the Rescue Simulation League. They’re very enthusiastic about participating.

RoboCupJunior Rescue at RoboCup 2024. Photograph: RoboCup/Bart van Overbeeke.

RoboCup was final held in Brazil in 2014, and I perceive that there have been various new people who have been impressed to affix a workforce after that. Do you suppose the 2025 RoboCup can have the identical impact and can encourage extra individuals in Brazil to participate?

Sure, I hope so. The final one impressed many, many college students. We might understand the distinction earlier than and after RoboCup at the moment, associated to initiatives in faculties. In 2014, RoboCup was held in João Pessoa, a metropolis within the north east that’s not as developed or populated as many different states in Brazil. It actually improved the analysis in that place and the curiosity in robotics particularly. After the 2014 RoboCup, we’ve had many initiatives submitted to the Brazilian RoboCup competitors from that state yearly. We consider that it was due to RoboCup being held there.

We hope that RoboCup2025 subsequent month can have the identical impact. We predict it may need a fair larger impression, as a result of there’s extra social media now and the information can unfold rather a lot additional. We expect many guests. We can have a type the place faculties that need to go to can enroll on a guided go to of RoboCup. This can go reside on the web site subsequent week, however we’re already receiving many messages from faculties asking how they will take part with their group. They’re within the occasions, so we now have excessive expectations.

We’ve got been engaged on organizing RoboCup2025 for over a yr, and there’s nonetheless a lot to do. We’re excited to obtain everyone right here, each for the competitors and to see the town. We’ve got a ravishing metropolis on the coast, and a few lovely locations to go to, so I like to recommend that folks come and keep for some days after the competitors to get to know our metropolis.

About Ana Patrícia

Ana Patrícia F. Magalhães Mascarenhas acquired her PhD in Pc Science from the Federal College of Bahia (2016) and Grasp in Mechatronics from the Federal College of Bahia (2007). She is at the moment an adjunct professor on the State College of Bahia (UNEB) on the Data Techniques course. She is a researcher and vice coordinator of the Middle for Analysis in Pc Structure, Clever Techniques and Robotics (ACSO). Her present analysis focuses on service robotics and software program engineering, particularly associated to the usage of Synthetic Intelligence (AI) within the software program improvement course of and in Mannequin-Pushed Growth (DDM).