World's first robot "community competition"

The Coopetition is a combination of collaborative work and a competition to inspire new developments in robotics. The teams work on the most advanced robotic systems worldwide, such as humanoids, industrial robots, robotic centaurs or quadrupeds on wheels. The four-day event is part of the euRobin project, which is coordinated by the German Aerospace Center (DLR ). euRobin is the European network of excellence for AI-based robotics, bringing together top research centers and major European industrial partners.

The open exchange shows, among other things, what makes software or certain data sets flexible to use and therefore particularly successful for the market. It is still extremely difficult and time-consuming to equip a robot system with 'foreign' technologies and capabilities, as the components have to be coordinated with each other and specially reprogrammed.

The latest methods of artificial intelligence (AI), such as the large language models of ChatGPT and others, are now opening up completely new possibilities that are being researched in coopetition. The transferability of robotic approaches is an important piece of the puzzle for their further development - because robots must learn to find their way in a wide variety of environments in order to benefit people where they are really needed. The euRobin network therefore aims to stimulate new solutions that enable the joint development of cutting-edge technologies and continue to strengthen Europe's leading role in robotics.

Robotic assistance in everyday life

A total of 22 teams took part in the challenge at the Prouvé Congress Center, divided into the categories of industrial robots, outdoor robots and assistance robots. The DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics competed there with its humanoid robot Rollin' Justin. For the assistance robot league, a household environment with different kitchens was set up in which Rollin' Justin had to perform various tasks as autonomously as possible with the help of its artificial intelligence when called upon.

Robots will soon be able to act in every household without having been specially programmed to do so. Even if this seems quite simple for humans, a robot needs to know a great deal about the respective environment and objects. Or it must have a high degree of transferability, which is made possible by AI. One challenge is that components that are not part of the system have to work together: If a robot rolls on four wheels, for example, how can you transfer what it has learned to a two-legged robot? As the software cannot be adopted 1:1 and can only be adapted approximately, inaccuracies arise when carrying out the task. These inaccuracies add up the more external components are integrated and the more complex they are.

Pioneering role in AI-based robotics

euRobin is Europe's answer to the international challenges in AI-based robotics, which is developing rapidly and promises enormous growth potential. The project, which is funded by the European Union, brings together 31 renowned research institutions and companies from 14 countries. As coordinator of the euRobin network, DLR is driving forward cooperation between science and industry. The aim is for Europe to make the next technological leap in robotics and further strengthen its pioneering role in robotics.

Cooperation between robots

It is impossible to imagine industrial production without robotics. In future, it will also play an increasingly supportive role in everyday life, for example in the form of humanoid robots that help people in the home and with care. With the world's first coopetition, euRobin has set new impulses. After all, one thing we have learned in recent years is that simply exchanging knowledge is not enough - research institutions and companies must also work together to solve problems.

»Germany and Europe are leading the way in the development of robotic assistance technology,« emphasizes Prof. Albu-Schäffer. »Co-bot technology, i.e. robots that can work directly with humans, is based on our European developments. We must now use this lead to face the major social challenges such as de-industrialization, environmental protection and demographic change and not only keep up with the competition outside Europe, but also continue to shape it together. Through euRobin, we have created a new, sustainable platform, established new ways of cooperation between the top European institutes and industrial partners and thus jointly developed solutions and new approaches,« continued the coordinator.

As a research participant, DLR uses the raw data obtained during the coopetition to create training data for AI learning programs and share it with the network partners. In the future, robots will not only be able to solve tasks independently, but also learn from other robots. Different robots will then be able to complete a task together and complement each other with their respective strengths.