A.L.F.A. became the first robot at Battle of Robots that was powered by AI and not a human operator. It also stood out in terms of weaponry: the robot relies on a vertical spinner with a rotation speed of 7,000 rpm and weighing 32 kg. Overall, A.L.F.A. weighs 160 kg and travels on a triangular omniplatform.
The robot was developed by Dmitry Zakharov, Ivan Smirnov, Alexey Ledyukov, Andrey Yaremenko, and Fedor Patrikov. Among the team’s other inventions are a titanium-based movable exoskeleton for serial production and a custom-built omnidirectional Mecanum platform. The team was supported by Alfa-Bank – hence the robot’s name, Advanced Learned Free-Thinking Automation, or A.L.F.A. for short.
“A lot of scientific and engineering efforts were put into this project. In A.L.F.A, we managed to simultaneously combine an electromechanical system with algorithms for computer vision, route planning, and trajectory tracking. The end result is a promising robot that we want to continue improving within the Battle of Robots competition and beyond. We encountered various challenges throughout the event, including having to figure out how to apply synthesized algorithms in a real robot and deploy it in battle settings. Next year, we intend to return with a more adaptable system capable of picking fights with any opponent,” says Dmitry Zakharov, a PhD student at ITMO’s Faculty of Control Systems and Robotics.
Auxilium AI. Credit: ITMO University
When constructing their robot, the team strove for maximum values to produce the most powerful and efficient weapon. Its reliability was proven successful at the event when the robot’s spinner continued to function even after being damaged.
“A.L.F.A. has three omni wheels that allow for omnidirectional movement, including sideways, which is something that differential drive robots can’t do. I had a positive experience at the competition. Although we spent several nights working up the computer vision feature before the contest, we're satisfied with what we've developed,” notes Ivan Smirnov, a fourth-year Bachelor’s student at ITMO’s Faculty of Control Systems and Robotics.
Battle of Robots is an international tournament in which teams of aspiring engineers design robots to compete with one another. The tournament takes place in a specialized high-tech ring. The fights last three minutes, after which the jury announces the winner by evaluating the damage caused. The event is organized and held by the Russian Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media.
