TURTLE

TURTLE or Tech United RoboCup Team Limited Edition is a soccer robot that competes in the RoboCup Mid-Size League, involving a special soccer team with four player robots and one keeper robot. All field players have the same features and components while the keeper robot is based on a slightly different model.

The first TURTLE was created in 2005. Competing for the Eindhoven University of Technology, TURTLES have won the European Championship a number of times. While Tech United has developed many versions of the soccer robot, TURTLE VERSION 5 is the most recent version with advanced features and improved components. The keeper robot uses a special rack as its hands, which sticks out once every five seconds.

The fifth TURTLE version is equipped with a camera that allows the robot to observe its surroundings. Pointing towards a special parabolic mirror, the camera creates a 360º view. This allows the robot to determine its actual position in the field. The Beckhoff EtherCAT devices connected to a mini-PC are used for motion control as well as data-acquisition. The TURTLE also has three omniwheels that are positioned at an angle of 120º, helping the robot move in all directions. A very important feature of the TURTLE VERSION 5 is its active ball-handling mechanism. Based on an electromechanical solenoid, the kicking mechanism utilizes a metallic plunger that moves through a magnetic field.