Home Page > Media > Interview > The Rise of New Forces | Shanghai University of Sport's STRing Team Showcases Technological Prowess at RoboCup!

The Rise of New Forces | Shanghai University of Sport's STRing Team Showcases Technological Prowess at RoboCup!

On the competition field, there is a team 

with faces full of curiosity, anticipation, and a hint of nervousness.

Their robots may not be in the best condition

but their tactics are commendable

Their experience holds significant reference value for newly formed teams They are the Shanghai University of Sport's STRing Team, participating in the RoboCup China competition for the first time, facing a 2 vs. 5 challenge, and completing their debut in the Robot World Cup China competition!

As an event on the whitelist, the RoboCup China competition has always been highly regarded by universities. The combination of sports and AI has led to the participation of sports universities. As the only sports university among the participating institutions, the journey of the Shanghai University of Sport's STRing Team is filled with highlights.

Now, let's listen to the post-competition sharing from Teacher Xu and experience the excitement and joy of participating in the competition together!


New Team, New Challenges


In July 2023, at the RoboCup Robot World Cup China competition, the STRing Team from Shanghai University of Sport encountered the defending champions, Tongji University, in their very first match. Unexpectedly for the STRing Team members, it was in this match with a significant disparity in strength that they scored their first goal in the RoboCup arena.

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Competition Highlights

The STRing Team was established at the end of December 2022, primarily composed of students majoring in Big Data. Upon learning about the international RoboCup competition, the event that combines sports with a technological edge—robot soccer—sparked great interest. As a new team, STRing faced numerous challenges during the preparation and competition phases. In fact, team members only had their first hands-on experience with physical robots after the semester began, leaving them with very little time to prepare. Additionally, issues such as unfamiliarity with language models, insufficient robot numbers, and a lack of understanding of the competition rules all emerged.

Despite shortcomings in hardware and experience, the STRing members approached their first competition with ample enthusiasm and patience, training and learning tirelessly every day. When they couldn't understand the code, they divided the tasks among themselves; when time was scarce, every member was seen in the lab late into the night. Ultimately, they overcame various difficulties and successfully stepped onto the RoboCup China competition field to complete the event.

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However, as the only sports-oriented institution among the participating universities, the STRing Team also has its own advantages. Many students in the team are themselves national second-level athletes or national-level referees, and their rich competition experience makes them more sensitive to the dynamics of the game and more flexible and versatile in tactics.

"In this arena, success comes from the unity of hardware, programming, and tactics," said Teacher Xu. To achieve victory at RoboCup, it is important to upgrade hardware and improve programming skills, but it is also crucial to learn to keenly observe the dynamics on the field and plan tactics effectively. During the competition, the team employed strategies like the story of Tian Ji's horse racing, for example, in the STRing Team's final match, facing a strong opponent, they abandoned the goalkeeper role and focused all efforts on offense.


Journeying with NAO 

Although the STRing Team currently has a limited number of robots, the members' affection for NAO is abundant. They describe NAO as "fun and good-looking," a platform that can be continuously developed. Facing the adorable NAO, the students affectionately refer to them by the names of famous football stars like Messi and Ronaldo, and during daily simulation training, they often enthusiastically cheer them on. Under the team's programming, NAO can not only play soccer but also dance, play golf, and perform Tai Chi.

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The students sew team uniforms and maintain the charging for NAO

As the understanding of NAO deepens among the students and teachers, there is a strong desire for NAO and other robots to participate in more sports fields in the future, thereby enhancing the application of artificial intelligence in sports professions and industries. The team will also improve the configuration of their robots this year to address the shortcomings in hardware.

Teacher Xu stated, "Currently, the school has placed great emphasis on the application of robots. The newly revised training program has integrated more content related to robots into the C language programming course. We have already seen the future development direction of sports + robots or sports + AI."

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STRing Invited to Participate in the Guizhou Zunyi Science and Technology Festival


Initially, our impression of sports + robots was that it seemed too distant from us. However, later on, we realized that we could also participate in the field of sports + robots. Not only NAO, but Pepper can also be developed in many ways, such as in sports events, sports venues, and the sports industry, where there are many tasks that robots can perform.

Because we always feel that the level of technological application in the sports industry is not as high as in other industries, we can learn from the strengths of mature industries and enhance the application of artificial intelligence in our industry."


Looking Forward to Setting Out Again


The first participation in the competition brought many gains for both the teachers and students of STRing. Teacher Xu mentioned that the time spent together during the preparation phase allowed them to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the students, which will be beneficial for future teaching work.

Through this competition, the students saw their accumulated theoretical knowledge being practically applied, which brought a great sense of accomplishment. Additionally, besides programming, there were also many detailed tasks, such as arranging transportation and meals, which enhanced the team's collaborative abilities. Moreover, the competition expanded the students' social circles, providing opportunities for close exchanges with peers from Tongji, Wuhan University, and Beijing University of Science and Technology, among others, which also proved to be very rewarding for the students.

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Taking Group Photos with Other Teams

Teacher Xu also specifically mentioned that a senior student in the STRing Team, who joined because of an interest in robots, later applied to study robotics-related subjects at the University of Manchester. Participating in this competition has significantly enhanced the student's learning and work experience.

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As a young team, the STRing Team has continuously evolved through the practical experience of the RoboCup competition, accumulating valuable experience. This experience has also greatly ignited their enthusiasm for future participation. Now, they are eager and looking forward to the next competition; they also hope that more universities will join the RoboCup competition to compete against more teams.

What kind of performance this energetic young team will deliver in future competitions remains to be seen. Let's wait and watch with anticipation!



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