In November, the Bit-Bots were invited to the AI Specialist Day at the VHS Stuttgart to give a presentation and lead a workshop. So, we (Flo, Timon, Jan-Niklas, and Lea) set off very early on Wednesday, November 29, 2023, to Stuttgart. At 7 am, we all gathered at Hamburg Central Station. We would have preferred to take a later train (which we had also booked), but the railway had already canceled it in advance (as they did with our return train too).
Due to the early hour, the journey started off quite sleepy and generally quiet. This was probably because we hadn’t noticed during the reservation that it was a quiet car. As time passed, the drowsiness wore off, and the snow, surprisingly still present in Hamburg in the morning, diminished as we traveled south.
With about half an hour of delay, we reached Stuttgart and found ourselves amidst an attraction: Stuttgart 21. Although the new train station is not yet completed, on the approximately ten-minute journey out of the construction site, we were informed about the progress of the project. We had discussed beforehand to first go to the VHS Stuttgart, where the lecture would take place, and then check into the hotel we had booked for the evening.
At the venue, we were warmly greeted and led to our workshop room. Upon arrival, robots were unpacked, prepared for action, and the later presentation was practiced one last time. It didn’t take long before the first interested visitors found our room, which was well-attended at the beginning of the workshop.
In the workshop, we explained how we solve certain tasks, passed around parts of our robot for attendees to touch, and also demonstrated our robot in action. For this, we set up a piece of grass and placed our robots on it. Simultaneously, we showed on a screen what the robot was currently seeing, how it recognized balls and lines, and what it thought about itself. Subsequently, we demonstrated walking and standing-up motions.
The latter was particularly well-received, which is why we started our presentation in the large auditorium with a live demonstration. Afterward, we explained what the RoboCup is and how we use artificial intelligence in our software. The presentation can also be found on YouTube at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aAUJXZS0xE
After the presentation, we exchanged a few words with our contact person, Monika Kurz. The official part was now over, and we set out in search of something to eat, finding a nice restaurant based on recommendations. Well-nourished, we were ready to head to the hotel, which was not too far away. Upon reaching the room, it was already quite late, so we all went to sleep relatively soon.
The next day, starting with a delicious breakfast, there was some time to explore Stuttgart a bit before heading back in the early afternoon. We strolled through Christmas markets in the city center, discovered a paternoster in the town hall, and walked to a small lake where there were many ducks. Finally, we bid farewell to Monika, who was delighted that our presentation and workshop went so well.
The return journey was relaxed but also productive, making the one-hour delay not as noticeable.
