Our robots were designed in compliance with the new F180 size RoboCup regulations. We built four identical field players and a goal keeper. All robots have stable aluminum frames that protect the sensitive inner parts.
They have a differential drive with two active wheels in the middle and are supported by one or two passive spheres that can rotate in any direction. Two Faulhaber DC-motors allow for a maximum speed of about 1 m/s. The motors have an integrated 19:1 gear and an impulse generator with 16 ticks per revolution.
We use C-Control units from Conrad electronics for local processing. They include a Motorola microcontroller HC05 running at 4 MHz with 8 KB EEPROM for program storage, two pulse-length modulated outputs for motor control, a RS-232 serial interface, a free running counter with timer functions, analog inputs, and digital I/O. The units are attached to a custom board containing a stabilized power supply, a dual-H-bridge motor driver L298, a beeper, and a radio transceiver SE200. The robots are powered by 8 + 4 Ni-MH rechargeable mignon batteries.