Three Humanoid Soccer Platforms: Comparison and Synthesis

In this article, we provide an overview of three humanoid soccer platforms currently in use at RoboCup: 3D simulation, the humanoid Standard Platform League (SPL), and the Webots-based simulator released with the SPL. Although these platforms trace different historical roots, today they share the same robot model, the Aldebaran Nao. Consequently, they face a similar set of challenges, primary among which is the need to develop reliable and robust bipedal locomotion. In this paper, we compare and contrast these platforms, drawing on the experiences of our team, UT Austin Villa, in developing agents for each of them. We identify specific roles for these three platforms in advancing the overarching goals of RoboCup.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2009
• Where: ROBOCUP
• Authors: Shivaram Kalyanakrishnan, Todd Hester, Michael Quinlan, Yinon Bentor, Peter Stone
• Keywords: Humanoid Soccer Platforms, Humanoid Standard Platform, ROBOCUP 2009, Robotics, Robust Bipedal Locomotion