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 quite a few 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 highschool youngsters, and sees tons of of youngsters collaborating in a wide range of challenges throughout completely different leagues. This yr, the lead organizer for RoboCupJunior is Ana Patrícia Magalhães. We caught up along 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.

May you inform us about RoboCupJunior and the plans you have got for the competitors this yr?

RoboCup will happen from 15-21 July, in Salvador, Brazil. We count on to obtain folks from greater than 40 nations, throughout the Junior and Main Leagues. We’re getting ready the whole lot to accommodate all the scholars collaborating 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 accommodations 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 offer all the required help for them, as a result of they’re so younger. We’re additionally organizing a welcome social gathering for the Juniors in order that they will expertise somewhat little bit of our tradition. It’s going to hopefully be a great expertise for them.

The Juniors will likely be positioned on the primary stage of the mezzanine on the conference heart. They are going to be separate from the Main Leagues, who will likely be on the bottom flooring. In fact, they’ll have the ability to 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 dad and mom 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 have got any concept of roughly what number of groups will likely be collaborating?

Sure, so we’ll have about 48 groups within the Soccer Leagues, 86 groups within the Rescue Leagues, and 27 in OnStage. That’s lots of groups. Every workforce has about three or 4 college students, and lots of the dad and mom, academics and professors journey with them too. In complete, we count on about 600 folks to be related to RoboCupJunior.

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

Have you ever bought extra RoboCupJunior members from Brazil this yr as a result of 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 so much 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 doable 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 a giant alternative for improvement and to dwell the RoboCup expertise. It’s essential for kids and youngsters to share their analysis, meet folks 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 in opposition to others. In a contest, it’s doable to match your analysis with others. So it’s completely different from conferences the place you current a paper and present your work, but it surely’s not doable to match and consider the outcomes with different comparable work. In a contest you have got 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 position at this RoboCup will likely be organizing RoboCupJunior. Are you additionally concerned within the Main Leagues?

Sure, so my foremost position is organizing RoboCupJunior and I’m additionally one of many chairs of the RoboCup Symposium. In addition to, some groups from my laboratory are competing within the Main leagues. My workforce participates within the @Residence 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 collaborating.

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 numerous new folks that had been impressed to affix a workforce after that. Do you assume the 2025 RoboCup could have the identical impact and can encourage extra folks 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 tasks in colleges. In 2014, RoboCup was held in João Pessoa, a metropolis within the north east that isn’t 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 tasks submitted to the Brazilian RoboCup competitors from that state yearly. We imagine that it was due to RoboCup being held there.

We hope that RoboCup2025 subsequent month could have the identical impact. We predict it may need a good greater affect, as a result of there may be extra social media now and the information can unfold so much additional. We predict many guests. We could have a kind the place colleges that need to go to can enroll on a guided go to of RoboCup. This may go dwell on the web site subsequent week, however we’re already receiving many messages from colleges asking how they will take part with their group. They’re within the occasions, so we now have excessive expectations.

We have now been engaged on organizing RoboCup2025 for over a yr, and there may be nonetheless a lot to do. We’re excited to obtain all people right here, each for the competitors and to see the town. We have now a gorgeous metropolis on the coast, and a few stunning locations to go to, so I like to recommend that individuals 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 presently an adjunct professor on the State College of Bahia (UNEB) on the Data Methods course. She is a researcher and vice coordinator of the Heart for Analysis in Pc Structure, Clever Methods 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).