Tomorrow morning is our first game! 9 am local time, 3 am Eastern, 2 am Central. It should be an easy win for us – as long as our robots kick the ball.

Tonight was our first and only test game using all 5 robots (we have saved our best robots from wear and tear). Unfortunately, there was a bug in the code where the robot would not kick the ball once they had approached it. We tried to fix it at half but the bug persisted. We think we have solved the problem now.

Earlier in the day, we played a test match vs the always-good UPennalizers team (U of Pennsylvania) and won 2-0 through one half – with four attackers and no goalie. JT ran GameController (the computer that communicates with the players about the game status – image attached) for the first time, in preparation for working as a ref during the games tomorrow. He worked later test games as assistant ref and even head ref once.

It continues to rain here… Tonight, we had to bike through the rain for the 2.3-mile ride home. The RoboCup facility is shut down (lights and power off) at 11 pm. So we are forced to leave by that time – and we are usually working all the way up to this point.

We are feeling quite Dutch on our bikes! JT has run errands to pick up groceries, first aid, dinner, and drop and pick up laundry at a wash-dry (no fold) laundromat. He has logged over 21 miles in the past two days – over 13 today alone! It really helps that there are bike paths (not just lanes) on almost every part of major roads. The Dutch are so protective of their bikers that – word is – if a biker runs into a car, the car is still held responsible! Whether or not that is true, cars are very cautious around bikers!

We will update in the morning after our game. Tot ziens! Doi doi.

Albert Heijn’s, the grocery store JT went to many times during Robocup.

GameController view from our practice game with UPennalizers