Nanotechnology Now

Our NanoNews Digest Sponsors
Heifer International



Home > Press > Let the Games Begin! Nanosoccer at 2009 RoboCup in Austria

The 2009 RoboCup Nanosoccer competition will be played on the gold-colored microchip seen through the window of the “world's smallest soccer stadium.” The chip is divided into 16 playing fields each the size of a grain of rice.

Credit: Talbott, NIST
The 2009 RoboCup Nanosoccer competition will be played on the gold-colored microchip seen through the window of the “world's smallest soccer stadium.” The chip is divided into 16 playing fields each the size of a grain of rice.

Credit: Talbott, NIST

Abstract:
The World Cup may be two years away, but soccer aficionados can get an early start at satisfying their yen for global competition when the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the RoboCup Federation host the second-ever international nanosoccer contest next summer.

Let the Games Begin! Nanosoccer at 2009 RoboCup in Austria

GAITHERSBURG, MD | Posted on November 12th, 2008

Nanosoccer—the Lilliputian competition where computer-driven "nanobots" the size of dust mites challenge one another on fields no bigger than a grain of rice—will be part of the RoboCup games in Graz, Austria, from June 29-July 5, 2009. NIST is now accepting applications for organizations wishing to field robots in the events.

Viewed under a microscope, the soccer nanobots are operated by remote control and move in response to changing magnetic fields or electrical signals transmitted across the microchip arena. "Nanoscale" refers to their mass. The bots are a few tens of micrometers to a few hundred micrometers long, but their masses range from only a few nanograms to a few hundred nanograms. They are manufactured from materials such as aluminum, nickel, gold, silicon and chromium.

Rules for the "Nanogram 2009" competition and the application form (called the "Team Description Paper") are available at www.nist.gov/public_affairs/calmed/nanosoccer.html. The "NIST and Nanosoccer" Web site also features detailed information on nanosoccer, summaries of past competitions and a short video showing how the contests "road test" agility, maneuverability, response to computer control and the ability to move objects—all skills that future industrial nanobots will need for tasks such as microsurgery within the human body or the manufacture of tiny components for microscopic electronic devices.

NIST is jointly organizing the Nanogram 2009 events with RoboCup, an international organization dedicated to fostering innovations and advances in artificial intelligence and intelligent robotics by using the game of soccer as a testing ground. NIST's goal in coordinating competitions between the world's smallest robots is to show the feasibility and accessibility of technologies for fabricating MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS), tiny mechanical devices built onto semiconductor chips and measured in micrometers (millionth of a meter). The contests also drive innovation in this new field of robotics by inspiring young scientists and engineers to become involved.

Teams wishing to compete in Austria must submit their application materials by Dec. 31, 2008, by either e-mail to or by regular mail to RoboCup Nanogram 2009, c/o Craig McGray, NIST, 100 Bureau Dr., MS 8120, Gaithersburg, Md. 20899-8120.

####

About NIST
Founded in 1901, NIST is a non-regulatory federal agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce. NIST's mission is to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life.

For more information, please click here

Contacts:
Michael E. Newman

(301) 975-3025

Copyright © NIST

If you have a comment, please Contact us.

Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.

Bookmark:
Delicious Digg Newsvine Google Yahoo Reddit Magnoliacom Furl Facebook

Related News Press

News and information

Researchers develop artificial building blocks of life March 8th, 2024

How surface roughness influences the adhesion of soft materials: Research team discovers universal mechanism that leads to adhesion hysteresis in soft materials March 8th, 2024

Two-dimensional bimetallic selenium-containing metal-organic frameworks and their calcinated derivatives as electrocatalysts for overall water splitting March 8th, 2024

Curcumin nanoemulsion is tested for treatment of intestinal inflammation: A formulation developed by Brazilian researchers proved effective in tests involving mice March 8th, 2024

Announcements

What heat can tell us about battery chemistry: using the Peltier effect to study lithium-ion cells March 8th, 2024

Curcumin nanoemulsion is tested for treatment of intestinal inflammation: A formulation developed by Brazilian researchers proved effective in tests involving mice March 8th, 2024

The Access to Advanced Health Institute receives up to $12.7 million to develop novel nanoalum adjuvant formulation for better protection against tuberculosis and pandemic influenza March 8th, 2024

Nanoscale CL thermometry with lanthanide-doped heavy-metal oxide in TEM March 8th, 2024

Sports

Threads that sense how and when you move? New technology makes it possible: Engineers created thread sensors that can be attached to skin to measure movement in real time, with potential implications for tracking health and performance January 29th, 2021

Surrey reveals its implantable biosensor that operates without batteries May 22nd, 2020

Collagen nanofibrils in mammalian tissues get stronger with exercise December 14th, 2018

Epoxy compound gets a graphene bump: Rice scientists combine graphene foam, epoxy into tough, conductive composite November 14th, 2018

Human Interest/Art

Drawing data in nanometer scale September 30th, 2022

Scientists prepare for the world’s smallest race: Nanocar Race II March 18th, 2022

Graphene nanotubes revolutionize touch screen use for prosthetic hands August 3rd, 2021

JEOL Announces 2020 Microscopy Image Grand Prize Winners January 7th, 2021

NanoNews-Digest
The latest news from around the world, FREE




  Premium Products
NanoNews-Custom
Only the news you want to read!
 Learn More
NanoStrategies
Full-service, expert consulting
 Learn More











ASP
Nanotechnology Now Featured Books




NNN

The Hunger Project