Robosoccer Robosoccer
Get creative with the design of your robot in Robosoccer!
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Discover new hands-on builds and
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The Completed Look of the Build
Completed VEX V5 Speedbot
This robot is designed so that it can be built quickly and driven around either autonomously
or with the V5 Controller.
Parts Needed
Can be built with:
VEX V5 Classroom Starter Kit
Build Instructions
The green icon indicates that the build needs to be flipped over (upside down).
Only one of the two sub-assemblies made in this step is used right now. The other will be used later in step 9.
Make sure your Smart Motors are oriented in the correct direction (screw holes facing the outside of the build and
the shaft hole towards the inside).
Make sure your Smart Motors are oriented in the correct direction (screw holes facing the outside of the build and
the shaft hole towards the inside).
The green icon indicates that the build needs to be rotated (180 degrees).
The blue call out shows what the orientation of the Robot Brain should be if the build were flipped right side up.
Make sure the 3 wire ports on the Robot Brain are facing the V5 Radio!
The green call outs indicate which port on the Robot Brain to plug each device into using their respective cable.
Build Instruction Tips
Check the Appendix for info on how to use the new Hex Nut Retainers.
Exploration
The VEX V5 Speedbot is meant to get you comfortable working with the system as quickly as
possible. Now that the build is finished, explore and see what it can do. Then answer these
questions in your engineering notebook.
What types of activities could this build be used for in real-world situations?
What are the best features of this build?
If you were tasked with designing a new version of this build, what would you add or
remove from the build to improve its ability to push objects? Explain with details and
sketches.
Play
Test your build, observe how it functions,
and fuel your logic and reasoning skills
through imaginative, creative play.
Robot Soccer
Robots playing soccer on a field
Robot Soccer
Engineers have built and programmed robots to play soccer for over two decades. Several
organizations, such as the RoboCup Federation and FIRA, host tournaments where teams
from around the world compete with soccer playing robots. What are some reasons that
robot soccer is so popular?
Two of the main reasons that robot soccer is so popular are:
Entertainment – Soccer, or football, is one of the most popular sports in the world. Many
people enjoy watching and playing the sport. Substituting the human players for intelligent,
responsive machines adds a fresh spin on the game.
Research & Development – Robot soccer is an activity that requires multiple robots
working together to accomplish tasks (scoring goals and defending their goal), while
reacting to another team of robots doing the same. Robot soccer is an incredibly creative
and authentic setting for developing algorithms that allow robots to quickly track the
trajectory of an object, take control and manipulate that object, and communicate their
position and other information to their teammates. All of these algorithms can be reused
by robots in other environments to accomplish similar tasks.
Designing to Dribble
Hardware/Software Required:
Quantity Hardware/Other Items
1 VEX V5 Classroom Starter Kit (with up-to-date firmware)
3 Cones or cups
1 V5 Controller 276-4820
1 Stopwatch
1 Soccer ball or similar sized ball
1 Roll of tape
1 Engineering Notebook
1. Creating a Dribbling Course
Dribbling course setup
Set all three cones (or cups) in a straight line. Ensure there is enough space between each
cone for the robot to fit through. Spacing cones farther apart will decrease the difficulty. Pick
a spot on the outside of the course (by one of the cones on an end) and use tape to make an
"X" on the ground in that location. Place the soccer ball (or a similar sized ball) on the "X".
2. Preparing Your Robot
VEX V5 Speedbot running the Drive program
Power on the V5 Robot Brain, make sure it is paired with the V5 Controller, and run the Drive
project on the V5 Robot Brain so that you’re able to wirelessly drive your robot with the
controller.
3. Dribbling Through the Course: Part 1
VEX V5 Speedbot dribbling a soccer ball
Position your robot next to the ball. No part of the robot should be touching the ball prior to
starting. Your goal is to dribble (push) the ball between the first and second cones, and then
between the second and third cones. After that, you need to dribble the ball around the third
cone and make one more pass through the course by dribbling the ball through both sets of
cones once more. Use a stopwatch to time how quickly you're able to complete the course.
The stopwatch should be started when you first touch the ball with your robot. The stopwatch
should be stopped once the ball has fully passed through the final set of cones on the
second pass through the course. Run through the course multiple times to see how your time
improves with practice. Record your results in your engineering notebook.
Respond to the questions below in your engineering notebook:
What was your best time through the course?
What strategies did you use to help improve your times?
4. Designing For a Purpose
VEX Robotics Engineering Notebook
Inside your engineering notebook, sketch some ideas for attachments that could be added to
your VEX V5 Speedbot that would improve its ability to dribble the ball. Share your design
ideas with others as you iterate on your designs.
Keep in mind that you're developing this technology through creativity in order to make your
robot better at playing soccer. Innovations in technology like this often start because of the
need to make technologies better. There are many creative ways to make your robot better
at soccer. Choose the ones that you think are your best.
Respond to the questions below in your engineering notebook:
What positive feedback did you receive on your designs?
What negative feedback from others did you receive on your designs?
What feedback did you incorporate into your designs? Explain how you did that.
Did sharing your designs with others help improve them? Why or why not?
5. Building Your Design
Review your sketches and pick the one you believe will best improve your robot's ability to
dribble the ball. Build the chosen design and attach it to your robot.
6. Dribbling Through the Course: Part 2
A Stopwatch
Position your robot with your newly designed attachment on the X. No part of the robot
should be touching the ball prior to starting. Using a stopwatch, dribble the ball through the
course following the same path as you did in your earlier trials without the attachment. The
stopwatch should be started when you first touch the ball with your robot. The stopwatch
should be stopped once the ball has fully passed through the final set of cones on the
second pass through the course.
Respond to the questions below in your engineering notebook:
Did your design help improve the time it took for you to complete the course? Why or why
not?
What about your design could you change to further improve it? Explain how and why that
would improve it.
Did you encounter anything unexpected when using your attachment? If so, what?
Appl y
Become a 21st century problem solver
by applying the core skills and concepts
you learned to other problems.
Robots in Sports
A basketball playing robot
With robots becoming more prevalent in daily life, it's not a surprise to see robots entering
the world of sports. There are many robot sports that exist today and so robots are now
participating in soccer, table tennis, sumo wrestling, basketball, skiing, and others. There are
even stand-out robot sports celebrities like Forpheus, the table tennis robot, and Cue 3, the
basketball shooting robot.
There are many features of their designs that make these robot athletes excellent players -
and even more efficient than humans. For example, the basketball shooting robot Cue 3
successfully made 2,020 free throws in a row without missing. The robot was capped at this
many by the Guinness World Records for time purposes. Cue 3 could make all of those
shots because it was designed to reset after each throw, making it more likely to make shot
after shot. The table tennis robot Forpheus' design includes multiple cameras in order to
watch the ball and the opponent at the same time. This is a huge advantage over a human
who can only focus on one object at a time. These features along with extensions or
additions to the robot like specialized arms and hands enable it to outperform a human.
Of course, there are some features of robots that one must keep in mind when thinking about
their ability in sports. For example, there are robots that exist for the sport of running. These
robots can outperform a human simply because a robot will not get tired in the same way a
human will. A robot will not experience muscle fatigue or dehydration. Sure, their batteries
may need to be replaced or charged. However, at the end of the day, the materials that make
up a robot such as plastic, steel, and carbon fiber have the ability to be stronger than human
muscle.
Robots can have a human shape or be designed to be more aerodynamic or efficient than
the human body. Think about a robot that would be designed for swimming. If it was
designed like a human, it would be likely that it would swim slower than a robot that was
more designed in a shape more like a torpedo with propellers.
The robots that exist in sports today are impressive. Think about some of the extensions and
engineering that must go into the planning and design of these robots in order for them to
perform well in sports.
VEX V5Ball Launcher
VEX V5 Ball Launcher
Robot Capabilities
The VEX V5 Ball Launcher includes a Vision Sensor mounted above the robot, angled
downward. This robot can be programmed to turn until the Vision Sensor detects a colored
ball, and then drive toward it. When the Vision Sensor detects that the robot is close enough
to the ball, the robot can pull it in using its intake, and then shoot it out at a target or goal.
This build is not possible without the Vision Sensor, but the Vision Sensor was not created
for this build. It was already a technological device that was incorporated into this robot's
design in an innovative way.
Competition Connection - Turning Point
Designing a launcher for a robot is especially useful in a competition setting. The 2018 -
2019 VEX Robotics Competition game Turning Point required players to toggle flags. There
were nine flags total: three bottom flags that could be toggled by the robot, and the six high
flags that could only be toggled by hitting them with competition ball game pieces.
Therefore, competition teams needed to design a ball launcher that would launch the ball
high and hard enough to toggle the flags. If the ball was shot at a flag too hard or not hard
enough, the flag might not toggle properly. The launcher would also need the capacity to
launch different ball game pieces through the match. There were six flags total that needed
to be toggled. If the robot only had the capacity to launch two balls or to launch unlimited
balls but only at a rate of one ball at a time, the robot may not have enough time in the match
to toggle all six. Some game winning designs included robots that could launch more than
one ball at a time in an efficient manner.
Image from: http://dreibeingmbh.de/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/VRC-TurningPoint-GameManual-20180427.pdf
Image from: http://dreibeingmbh.de/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/VRC-TurningPoint-GameManual-20180427.pdf
Designing and building a launcher attachment for this game was necessary so that the robot
could pick up the yellow ball game pieces and shoot them at the flags to toggle between the
red and blue team colors to obtain points.
Rethink
Is there a more efficient way to come to
the same conclusion? Take what you’ve
learned and try to improve it.
Prepare for a Game of Robosoccer
Robosoccer field setup
Prepare for the Robosoccer Challenge
In this challenge, you will use your VEX V5 Speedbot and any attachments that you
designed for it to play soccer against an opponent.
To play Robosoccer you will need:
One soccer ball (or similar sized ball)
Three people (two players, one referee)
Two or more VEX V5 Speedbots and their V5 Controllers
Two identical empty boxes (large enough to fit a soccer ball)
One roll of tape
Stopwatch
Open area with walls at least 3m x 3m (recommended size) with both boxes placed at
opposite ends (think soccer field with walls!)
Improve Your Build
Refer to the Speedbot with your newly designed attachment, and answer the following
questions in your engineering notebook.
The aim of Robosoccer is to score as many points as you can while defending your goal.
How does the attachment you designed help your Speedbot victoriously meet those
goals? What changes to the design could make it better?
Maneuvering the ball successfully is necessary in the game. How does your attachment
aid the Speedbot in ball control? How could you adapt your attachment to better
maneuver the ball on the field?
Try some adaptations to your attachment and then test them.
Do you think that your design changes improved the chances of the Speedbot scoring or
defending its goal area on the field? Describe the steps you took to reach final design that
you will use in the challenge.
How did design changes affect the overall performance of the robot?
Playing Robosoccer!
Robosoccer field with two robots and a soccer ball
Playing Robosoccer!
In this challenge, you will play soccer with your VEX V5 Speedbot along with any
attachments you may have added to it. You will be controlling your robot controller using the
Drive program on your V5 Robot Brain.
One person will referee the game and ensure each team follows the rules.
Challenge rules:
The ball should be placed in the center of the field at the start of each game and after
each goal.
The robot must begin in front of your net.
Players must stand behind their own goal throughout the duration of the game.
Each game is 5 minutes long.
On smaller fields (3m x 3m or less), there should only be one player on each team. Teams
can increase in size (2v2 or 3v3) for larger fields.
The ball must completely be in the goal for the point to count.
Each goal is worth 1 point.
After a goal is scored, each team's robot(s) must be returned to the front of their goal and
both teams have to give a thumbs up to the referee to indicate they are ready to start the
match.
The referee will start the game and stopwatch by saying "Go!" at the beginning of the
game and after each goal.
The team with the most points at the end wins!
Have fun!
Know
Understand the core concepts and how
to apply them to different situations.
This review process will fuel motivation
to learn.
Review
1. Which of these design features would NOT make a robot better than a
human at playing a sport?
o The ability to play without fatigue
o Focusing on only the ball
o The plastic, steel, and carbon fiber that are used to build the robot
o Being aerodynamic
2. When the Vision Sensor on the VEX V5 Ball Launcher detects that the robot is
close enough to the ball, the robot can pull it in using its ____.
o claw
o outake
o intake
o distance sensor
3. Which of the following is NOT a reason to ask for feedback about a design?
o You want outside opinions about how the design can be improved.
o You want to decide which design is best of a few different ones.
o You want someone to fix your design so that you know it functions without testing it yourself.
o You are at a critical point with multiple options within your design and would like feedback about which option to choose.
4. Why have developers introduced robots into the game of soccer?
o All answers are correct.
o Soccer is one of the most popular sports in the world.
o Substituting the intelligent, responsive machines for the human players adds a new aspect to the game.
o Applying new technologies to sports can lead to new algorithms that can be then applied to robots other fields.
5. Robot soccer is not ____.
o an activity that requires multiple robots working together to accomplish tasks
o an incredibly creative and authentic setting for developing algorithms that allow the robots to quickly track the trajectory of an object
o an activity that allows many robots to communicate their position and other information to their teammates
o an activity based around one robot coaching the other robots by sending algorithms to them while playing
Appendi x
Additional information, resources, and materials.
Using the 1 Post Hex Nut Retainer w/ Bearing Flat
1 Post Hex Nut Retainer w/ Bearing Flat
Using the 1 Post Hex Nut Retainer w/ Bearing Flat
The 1 Post Hex Nut Retainer w/ Bearing Flat allows shafts to spin smoothly through holes in
structural components. When mounted, it provides two points of contact on structural
components for stability. One end of the retainer contains a post sized to securely fit in the
square hole of a structural component. The center hole of the retainer is sized and slotted to
securely fit a hex nut, allowing a 8-32 screw to easily be tightened without the need for a
wrench or pliers. The hole on the end of the Retainer is intended for shafts or screws to pass
through.
To make use of the retainer:
Align it on a VEX structural component such that the end hole is in the desired location,
and the center and end sections are also backed by the structural component.
Insert the square post extruding from the retainer into the structural component to help
keep it in place.
Insert a hex nut into the center section of the retainer so that it is flush with the rest of the
component.
Align any additional structural components to the back of the main structural component, if
applicable.
Use an 8-32 screw of appropriate length to secure the structural component(s) to the
retainer through the center hole and hex nut.
Using the 4 Post Hex Nut Retainer
4 Post Hex Nut Retainer
Using the 4 Post Hex Nut Retainer
The 4 Post Hex Nut Retainer provides five points of contact for creating a strong connection
between two structural components using one screw and nut. Each corner of the retainer
contains a post sized to securely fit in a square hole within a structural component. The
center of the retainer is sized and slotted to securely fit a hex nut, allowing a 8-32 screw to
easily be tightened without the need for a wrench or pliers.
To make use of the retainer:
Align it on a VEX structural component such that the center hole is in the desired location,
and each corner is also backed by the structural component.
Insert the square posts extruding from the retainer into the structural component to help
keep it in place.
Insert a hex nut into the center section of the retainer so that it is flush with the rest of the
component.
Align any additional structural components to the back of the main structural component, if
applicable.
Use an 8-32 screw of appropriate length to secure the structural component(s) to the
retainer through the center hole and hex nut.
Using the 1 Post Hex Nut Retainer
1 Post Hex Nut Retainer
Using the 1 Post Hex Nut Retainer
The 1 Post Hex Nut Retainer provides two points of contact for connecting a structural
component to another piece using one screw and nut. One end of the retainer contains a
post sized to securely fit in the square hole of a structural component. The other end of the
retainer is sized and slotted to securely fit a hex nut, allowing a 8-32 screw to easily be
tightened without the need for a wrench or pliers.
To make use of the retainer:
Align it on a VEX structural component such that both ends are backed by the structural
component and positioned to secure the second piece.
Insert the square post extruding from the retainer into the structural component to help
keep it in place.
If the retainer is being used to secure two structural components, insert a hex nut into the
other end of the retainer so that it is flush with the rest of the component. If used to secure
a different type of component, such as a standoff, it may be appropriate to insert the screw
through this side.
Align any additional components to the back of the main structural component, if
applicable.
If the retainer is being used to connect two structural components, use an 8-32 screw of
appropriate length to secure the structural components through the hole and hex nut. If
used to connect a different type of component, such as a standoff, secure it directly or with
a hex nut.
Engineering Notebooks
Alexander Graham Bell's notebook entry from a successful experiment with his first telephone
An Engineering Notebook Documents your Work
Not only do you use an engineering notebook to organize and document your work, it is also
a place to reflect on activities and projects. When working in a team, each team member will
maintain their own journal to help with collaboration.
Your engineering notebook should have the following:
An entry for each day or session that you worked on the solution
Entries that are chronological, with each entry dated
Clear, neat, and concise writing and organization
Labels so that a reader understands all of your notes and how they fit into your iterative
design process
An entry might include:
Brainstorming ideas
Sketches or pictures of prototypes
Pseudocode and flowcharts for planning
Any worked calculations or algorithms used
Answers to guiding questions
Notes about observations and/or conducted tests
Notes about and reflections on your different iterations
