The RoboCup German Open is a significant testing ground in the fields of research and training. This year’s major teams competition brought together 38 international RoboCup teams from universities and research institutes in six different disciplines and highlighted the performance of football robots, service robots, rescue robots and robots for industrial use. As part of the Rescue Robot League, robots were used to look for rescue victims in a simulated crisis environment, for example following an earthquake or tsunami. In this simulated rescue situation, the robots are fitted with video, infra-red and 3D cameras as well as ultrasound sensors, gas sensors and microphones to find hidden victims within the crisis region.

Development of mobile rescue robots at the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences

During the RoboCup German Open, the robotic team from the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences also put its expertise to the test as part of the ‘Rescue Robot League’. This league aims to develop a mobile independent robot which can help rescue forces to explore the environment and carry out their rescue work. The new TRUDI (Third Robot for Urban Disaster Intervention) rescue robot developed at the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences impressed in the competition with the use of its manipulator arm and its independent opening of doors, closing of valves and accurate positioning of the robotic arm.

“As part of the development of the mobile rescue robot, we are pursuing the primary goal of independently planning, developing and establishing subsystems for the robots. This enables the best possible adaptation to new tasks, as demonstrated during the RoboCup Rescue competition,” says head of the course Wolfgang Werth. Another advantage of this in-house development is the full access to all individual components and their interaction. The notion of systematic thinking in product development is thereby consistently implemented.

The robotics team from the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences already had success at the RoboCup World Championships in Leipzig and are now planning further improvements and projects in the field of mobile robotics and participation in future competitions, such as the World Championships in Japan. Supporters and sponsors from the world of business are welcome so as to facilitate further important developments in the field of robotics.