The project started with the vision of Robocup and associate professor René van de Molengraft, director Tech United, TU Eindhoven: ‘In 2050 a team of football playing robots defeats the human world champion team.’ ACE picked-up this idea and initiated together with Van de Molengraft the Turtle-5k project. For ACE it is a (non-commercial) contribution to society and show corporate social responsibility (CSR): Promote technology and drive knowledge on autonomous robotics. This way, gained knowledge in the end can be applied to challenge the contemporary social themes such as autonomous robots in fields as homecare and rescue. Tech United already had many years of experience within the Robocup. They even became world champion in 2012 in the Middle Sized League (MSL). That became the starting point of the Turtle-5k project. ACE decided to make a cost down redesign of this world champion and make it available for everybody who’s interested in this competition. That meant a cost reduction for each robot from 25 thousand to 5 thousand euro, with the same functionality of world champion of Tech United. This will attract new teams and drive knowledge throughout competition. In order to reach this goal the whole system needed to be redesigned, from mechanics to electronics and new (open source) software needed to be developed. This was done in cooperation between ACE, TU Eindhoven, Frencken and VEDS. This cooperation made it an even bigger challenge since it is not based on a profitable business case, hence all companies voluntary contributed in the project making use of their competences and available resources.

1. Be
ingenious
Corporate Social
Responsibility throughout
collaboration
ACE ingenieurs- & adviesbureau
Frank Steeghs
7 mei 2014
frank.steeghs@ace.eu

2. Be
ingenious
Agenda
• introduction ACE
• vision & mission
• general approach
• redesign by value engineering
• results & reflection

3. Be
ingenious
Established 1977
Locations
 Eindhoven, Delft (NL)
 Hasselt, Gent (B)
250 employees
ACE ingenieurs- & adviesbureau
Werktuigbouwkunde en Elektrotechniek

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ingenious
 product development
 industrial automation
 high-tech systems
 construction technology
four specialized
business units

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ingenious
Core activities
 Analysis
 Development
 Design
 Engineering
 Prototyping
 Realization

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ingenious
 Secondment of technical staff
 Outsourcing design & engineering
 Farmout partner (co-development)
 Turnkey projects
Services

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ingenious
Vision
Vision of RoboCup:
“In 2050 a team of soccer playing robots defeats the human
world champion team”.

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ingenious
Mission
Mission of Prof. Rene van de Molengraft, director Tech United,
TU/e:
“Develop an affordable robot so more teams will join the
RoboCup.”

9. Be
ingenious
Develop low-cost soccer robot
• For easy entrance and competing in
the middle sized leagues RoboCup
events
• Attract new teams and drive
knowledge throughout competition.
• Competition is based on open source
and sharing the gained knowledge.

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ingenious
Main goals ACE
1. To deliver a (non-commercial)
contribution to society and show
Corporate Social Responsibility
(CSR).
2. Show capabilities throughout
developing a soccer robot as a
demonstrator.
3. Collaborate with complementary
partners and Technical University

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ingenious
CSR contribution
Promote technology and drive knowledge on autonomous
robotics.
 Explanation: The gained knowledge finally can be
applied to challenge the contemporary social themes
such as autonomous robots in fields as homecare and
rescue.

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ingenious
General approach
• Define project scope
• Find partners for collaboration
• Create work breakdown structure
• Redesign by value engineering

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ingenious
Project scope
• Cost down of the current soccer
robot
• Same functionality as world
champion 2012
• BOM of current robot is
approximately 25k
• Target cost price BOM = 5k

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ingenious
High level project work
breakdown structure
• Complete redesign of mechanics
• Complete redesign of electronics
• Cost down of goods
• Conversion to ROS (Robotic Open Source)
• Project coordination by ACE

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ingenious
Find partners to collaborate in
this multidisciplinary project

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ingenious
Project plan
• Redesign and built prototype
• Present prototype on RoboCup event in June
2013 Eindhoven
• Exposure to 40.000 visitors and 2.500
participants out of 40 countries
• Optimize and built first series
• Establish turtle 5k team for further
development and learning purposes
• Share design for free use / replication

17. Be
ingenious
Redesign by
Value Engineering
• Analyzing
• BOM, Specs, hardware, electronics
• Designing
• Function tree
• Value analysis & Engineering
• 3D Modelling
• Deliver technical product documentation
• Realization

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ingenious
Function tree

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ingenious 19
Value analysis - mapping the costs
Shoot ball
Store
power/force/energy
Control trajectory Exert force
Vary shot angle Move swing arm
Solenoid/magnetic coil
Pulley system
Use swing arm
Capacitor
€ 3052.82 € 3052.82 € 880.- € 880.-
€ 1407.35 € 1407.35 € 1407.35
€ 112.77 € 112.77
€ 652.70

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ingenious
Value engineering
Function
Current price of
function [euro]
Value of
function [%]
Value of function multiplied by
the goal price of 5000
Savings
factor
Control robot 2100,00 18 900 2,33
Manage power 2002,81 16 800 2,50
Percept enviroment 2387,50 14 700 3,41
Move robot 3190,90 13 650 4,91
Handle ball 5769,94 11 550 10,49
Shoot ball 3052,82 9 450 6,78
Communication 1710,80 8 400 4,28
Structural integrity 3819,58 5 250 15,28
Protect robot 375,00 4 200 1,88
Identification 305,00 2 100 3,05

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ingenious
Brainstorming
Ideas
Morphological chart
3 Lines
Decision
Value engineering

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ingenious
Realization proto

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ingenious
Value engineering

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ingenious
Results & Reflection

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ingenious
Difficulties in the project
• Cost reduction of 5 times
• No commercial business case  not for profit
• Voluntary (pro-bono) contribution of consortium
• All relying on the goodwill of the partners
• Final integration of disciplines
• Speed-up timing for second customer ASML
• Priority on low-volume non-commercial projects
• Constraints on available human resources

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ingenious
Results
• Cost price around € 7.000,- at
series of 11
• 2 teams
• International potential customers
• Participation of TURTLE-5k at
RoboCup Brasil 2014

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ingenious
Reflection on
collaboration
• All took responsibility for bringing
this to a good end
• High commitment (of all team
members)
• All strived to deliver a professional
quality

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ingenious
Spin-offs
• Exposure: articles in press (magazines,
newspaper, video etc.)
• New and more intensive cooperation's
• Future demonstrator on primary en
secondary schools

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ingenious
Thank you
More information about TURTLE-5k at www.turtle5k.org
More information about ACE at www.ace.eu