Robocup:
Simulation League
19 December 1997
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NABS Robocup: Simulation League 19 December 1997 |
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Agenda |
PPT Slides |
The RoboCup Competition pits robots (real and virtual) against each other in a simulated soccer tournament.
The aim of the RoboCup competition is to foster an interdisciplinary approach to robotics and agent-based AI by presenting a domain that requires large-scale coorperation and coordination in a dynamic, noisy, complex environment.
1.1 Challenges
The environment is highly dynamic.
The perception of each player is locally limited.
The role of each player can be different.
Communication among players is limited, therefore each agent is required to behave very flexibly and autonomously.
Network connection between the server and client(s) is by a UDP/IP (User Datagram Protocol / Internet Protocol) socket.
- Characteristics of Client:
- Client can send and receive commands to control a player through the server.
- Send commands available are (move x y), (turn Moment), (dash Power) and (say Message).
- Sensor (Receive) functions includes visual and auditory information using (See Time ObjInfo ObjInfo ...) and (hear Time Direction Message).
- Each client can control only 1 player.
- Client can be programmed in almost any programming language under the sun (Java, C, C++, VisualBASIC, Pascal, Delphi, dBASE, DOS batch files, etc.) and any platform (DOS, Windows, Unix, Mac).
Characteristics of Server:
Consist of 3 modules namely a Field Simulator Module, a Referee Module and a Message-Board module.
Field Simulator Module calculates movements of objects on the field and checks collision among them.
The Referee Module controls a game according to the rules.
The Message-Board manages communication among clients.
3.1 Format of Game
- Soccer field and all objects on it are 2D.
- The size of the field is 105m x 68m and the width of the goals is 14.64m.
- Players and ball are treated as circles.
- Parameters of player and ball movements include initial position, velocity and decay factor.
- Collisions may occurs and are resolve by -ve movement of object and a decrease of velocity by 0.1 factor.
- In order to reflect unexpected movements of objects in the real world, Soccer Server adds noise to objects' movements.
3.2 Format of a Competition
The competition shall be played in two rounds.
First Round:
- Teams shall be divided into several groups of 4 teams.
- The system of play shall be a round-robin system, each team playing one match against each of the other teams in the same group.
- Qualification in each group are as follows:
- Number of wins,
- Goal difference,
- Number of goals scored,
- score of head-to-head match,
- drawing lots.
Second Round:
- 1st and 2nd place from each group.
- Competition will be based on system of elimination (cup system).
- If too many teams take part in the competition, it shall be played only by a system of double elimination.
3.2 Regulation of Game
- The duration of the match is 10 minutes.
- Each match is made up of two period, 5 minutes each with 5 minutes break at halftime.
- Goal: The referee will announce the goal (broadcasts a message to all clients), renews the score, moves the ball to the center mark, and changes playmode to kick_off.
- Out of Field: The referee will move the ball to a proper position (a touch-line, corner or goal-area) and change the play-mode to kick_in, corner_kick or goal_kick.
- Clearance: When the play-mode is kick_off, throw-in, corner_kick the referee removes defending or goal_kick, players from an area in a circle whose center and radius are the ball and 9.15m respectively.
- Play-mode Control: When the play-mode is kick_off, throw_in, corner_kick or goal_kick, the referee changes the play-mode to play_on after the ball starts by a kick command.
- Draw: If the match is draw after the second half, the match is extended until another goal.
Two Approaches to Building a Soccer Team:
- Using Genetic Programming to Learn Individual and Team Behaviours
- Using High-Level Concepts such as Roles, Responsibilities and Strategies
4.1 Using Genetic Programming to Learn Individual and Team Behaviours
Problem with reactive, behaviour-based approach to coordinating the soccer team.
Learn good behaviours and coordination on their own.
Other Learning strategies such as neural and decision trees
4.1.1 Common form of Genetic Programming by John Koza
Optimizes one or more LISP-like program trees formed from a set of atomic functions. Each tree represents the behaviour for an individual agent
GP optimizes individuals very similarly to GA. User supplies
the GP system with a set of atomic functions to build individuals
an evaluation function to assess fitness
4.1.2 Breeding operators for GP system
subtree crossover
point mutation
reproduction
4.1.3 Co-evolution evaluation algorithm for Competitions
4.2. Using High-Level Concepts such as Roles, Responsibilities and Strategies
Section 1: Installation of Robocup Software
Section 2: Startup Server, Clients & creation of Matches
Section 3: Robocup in Action!
PS: The clients software in the demo are from Dr. Noda Itsuki.
5.1 Demo: Installation of Robocup Software
Click Image to open Video
Open Script
5.2 Demo: Startup Server, Clients & creation of Matches
Click Image to open Video
Open Script
5.3 Demo: Robocup in Action!
5.3.1 Semi-Finals Round 1: Diana's Team vs Jack's Team
(1mb, AVI, 2fps) Click Image to open Video
Open Script
5.3.2 Semi-Finals Round 2: T-Rex's Team vs Diana's Team
(1.2 mb, AVI, 2fps) Click Image to open Video
Open Script
5.3.2 Finals: Diana's Team vs Bob's Team
(1mb, AVI, 2fps) Click Image to open Video
Open Script
- Is there any on-line RoboCup Bibliography?
- Any good list of web links? eg. RoboCup Researchers, Past/Present year teams, Source Codes, etc.
- A brief anatomy of Dr. Itsuki client program?
- Content of Disk? Download disk at http://tralvex.com/pub/robodemo/disk.zip (218kb)
Created on 17 December 1997. Last revised on 8 Nov 2002
NABS (Nuts & Bolts Session) was attended by Dr. Lee Hingyan, Dr. Lai Kok Fung, Atul, Chang Wen, Chris, Cjin Pheow, Clifford, Jee Siong, , Kwok Leong, Raja, Soo Hye, Wang Kang, Winson, Yu Ying & Zhen Lu.
Presentors: Tralvex Yeap & Tay Joc Cing
