Los Galacticos FIRST PLACE in Torneo Mexicano de Robotica 2014

Los Galacticos FIRST PLACE in
RoboCupJunior Soccer Lightweight Primary

of the Torneo Mexicano de Robotica 2014

M.Sc. Julio César Sandria Reynoso

In April 2014 I participated with Los Galacticos team that won the FIRST PLACE in the RoboCupJunior Soccer Lightweight Primary category of the Mexican Robotics Tournament (Torneo Mexicano de Robotica 2014). The team represented RobotSA (a technology microenterprise) and consisted of two 12 years old children, a 13 years old boy and Julio Sandria (Julio Cesar Sandria Reynoso) as the Mentor.

The robots played soccer in a small field, and they were armed and programmed by the children.

At the end of this article there is the link to the video edited by two of the children, with a summary of the last three games that our team won.

Next, the final table of the category in which we participate, published by the Mexican Federation of Robotics, on its website http://www.femexrobotica.org/tmr2014/resultados.html

RCJ Soccer Lightweight Primary
 Place Team name Institution
1st Los Galacticos RobotSA
2nd Yuhoo Uce Netica SEJ Cinvestav, Jalisco
3rd tom Netica SEJ Cinvestav, Jalisco

Previously I had already participated with teams of university students in other robotics tournaments:

The idea of participating again in robotic tournaments was latent for several years. In 2003 I started with Lego Mindstorms RIS 2.0 robotics packages and since 2007 I have acquired some Lego Mindstorms NXT packages, Lego Mindstorms NXT 2.0 and Lego Mindstorms EV3.

In December 2011 I bought two infrared balls, omnidirectional wheels, compass sensors and infrared sensors to start making tests with soccer robots.

In February 2014, using the material prepared for my course Programación de robots futbolistas con Lego Mindstorms NXT, I started the formal preparation of Los Galacticos team and soon after the Sandria team, to participate in the Mexican Robotics Tournament 2014 that took place in Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche (Mexico), from April 10 to 12, 2014.

The team Los Galacticos participated in the category RoboCupJunior Soccer Lightweight Primary, for children up to 14 years old. In this category, robots play soccer in teams of two against two.

RoboCup is a global initiative to promote work and research in robotics and artificial intelligence. Its website is www.robocup.org.

RoboCupJunior is an educational initiative that promotes local, national and international events for children and young people up to 19 years old. Its website is rcj.robocup.org.

To form a competitive team, in addition to working on the design and programming of the robots, we built a field with the regulatory measures to test them.

Boys returned from school and spent a few hours “playing” with the soccer robots.

We used Lego Mindstorms NXT robots, I taught them and explained the model that I thought was the right one to put together and they put it together. I also explained the programming of the Lego Mindstorms NXT Software for these particular robots, which they understood quite well. In fact, it was very useful for two of them to have participated in the summer courses I taught in 2012 and 2013.

The children even had up to four soccer robots to do all the necessary tests before the competition.

The second team, Sandria, participated with a rescue robot, in the category RoboCupJunior Rescue A Secondary, for young people up to 19 years old. They made a prototype with a Lego Mindstorms NXT 2.0 and another with a Lego Mindstorms EV3. We decided on the first, because they still did not dominate the second.

In the rescue test we needed to work more, and the team won the sixth place of 21 participating teams. Still, I’m sure that with the last effort that the kids did, they learned even more about programming.

During the event, at the Universidad Autónoma del Carmen, when we arrived at the competition area we were always greeted by the mascot (on poster) that can be seen in the following photo. I also took a picture of my badge as a Mentor of the Los Galacticos team.

In the following images, the first photo shows the guys sitting at their desk, making the last adjustments before their participation. In the second picture you can see the playing fields for RoboCupJunior Soccer games and more participants from other categories.

In the following photos: Me, during a break, and the boys, at the entrance of the Sports Unit of Campus II of the Autonomous University of Carmen.

 

In the following photo the team Los Galacticos before the first game. We tied the first one, we lost the second and we won the third one, with what we could go to the next round.

We won in the quarterfinals and semifinals. The following photo was taken before starting the final match. The children seemed nervous.

WE WON THE FINAL MATCH! Photo of the memory, with the team that was in second place.

Before the delivery of trophies. And Los Galacticos receiving the trophy of first place.


In the following photo, the champions of RoboCupJunior Soccer Lightweight Primary with their trophy. CONGRATULATIONS GUYS!

Back at home, the two robots from Los Galacticos with the 1st place trophy.

The following video shows a summary of the quarterfinal, semifinal and FINAL matches of Los Galacticos team, champion of the RoboCupJunior Soccer Lightweight Primary category in the 2014 Mexican Robotics Tournament.

The video was edited by two of the boys from the equipment. The screams of goal and win are from the Mentor.

Welcome!

This is the website of Galacticos, a Robotics Club in Xalapa city, state of  Veracruz, MEXICO.

2014-04-14 12.56.58

We are a team of roboticists that won FIRST PLACE in the category RoboCupJunior Soccer L. Primary in the Mexican Robotics Tournament 2014 (TMR 2014). Thanks to this, we have the opportunity to participate in the international competition RoboCup 2014, which will take place in Brazil, in July of this year.

The winning team consists of three children from 12 to 13 years old and the Mentor, Julio Sandria.

We have more than 10 years of experience participating in robotics events, as well as offering robotics courses for adults and children.

To participate in Brazil we have several sponsorship opportunities quite convenient for both parties.

On this website we will publish our experiences nationally and internationally.

You are welcome.

M.Sc. Julio César Sandria Reynoso
Mentor of the Galacticos team
National Champion RoboCupJunior Soccer
Mexico