Cornell University Uses The MathWorks Software To Develop Robotics for 2004 Robocup Competition
The MathWorks’ continued support of the Cornell University RoboCup team, in the 2004 RoboCup competition, took place June 27-July 5, in Lisbon, Portugal. Four-time winners of the competition, the Cornell University team has used MATLAB, the Company’s industry leading technical computing software, to address challenges in the design and build phases of their team’s robot.
Now in its eighth year, the RoboCup competition is an international research and education initiative that fosters artificial intelligence and intelligent robotics research. With a goal of developing a soccer team of fully autonomous humanoid robots that can win against the human world championship soccer team by 2050, RoboCup draws students from around the world. In the design and building of the soccer-playing robots, the student teams develop technologies that can be applied to real-life situations, such as research in dangerous, extreme, or remote environments.
Using innovative software such as MATLAB, the Cornell team was the first to bring omnidirectional drive to its division. The team also invented the dribbling mechanism and is now trying to move the entire artificial intelligence onboard its robot by using PC104 single-board computers. Drawing on their depth of experience using MathWorks software, the Cornell team will continue to design and construct their robot using MATLAB, as well as a range of companion products, throughout the duration of the contest.
“MATLAB is a very useful, multipurpose tool that solves all kinds of engineering challenges that arise during the design phases,” said Cornell University team member Oliver Purwin. “The easy-to-use software provides us with options in computing and simulating that saved us valuable time and resources.”
“The MathWorks continues its strong commitment and presence in the education community by supporting educational and research initiatives like RoboCup,” said Cleve Moler, chief scientist at The MathWorks and creator of MATLAB. “Encouraging students to develop skills and new technologies in areas such as robotics and artificial intelligence positions them for leadership in their fields as inventors, scientists and engineers, and promotes cutting-edge technology worldwide.”
MathWorks products have been widely adopted in the academic community to help make technical education more authentic and tangible. More than 3,500 universities around the world, including Cornell University, use MathWorks products for teaching and research in a broad range of technical disciplines. MathWorks products deliver leading-edge engineering and science curricula that better prepare students for future careers in industry.
