robOTTO successful at the German Open in Cologne
The robotics team robOTTO from Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg participated in the German Open of the RoboCup in Cologne from March 10th to 14th. In the Smart Manufacturing League, the team took first place in the Warehouse Track and second place overall.
Smart Manufacturing League
The team has been participating in RoboCup for over a decade. Last year, robOTTO celebrated its tenth anniversary in RoboCup's @Work league. This year, the competition's two industry leagues – Logistics and @Work – were merged into the new Smart Manufacturing League. This league focuses more on scenarios within an agile manufacturing environment. Robots transport raw materials (building blocks) to automated production lines (Warehouse Track), where other robots assemble them into a variety of new products (Workbench Track).
German Open 2026
Nine teams competed in the inaugural Smart Manufacturing League event, held as part of the German Open 2026. Team robOTTO secured first place in the Warehouse Track with their robot "Euler." In the overall standings, the team finished second behind GM-Force Cologne.
The German Open of the RoboCup serves as the national qualifying round for the RoboCup World Championships. Researchers, students, and up-and-coming talents present their developments and compete against each other in various challenges.
RoboCup
RoboCup is a global robotics competition with numerous leagues, including soccer, rescue, service, and industrial robotics. It was founded in 1996 with the long-term goal of developing autonomous humanoid robots capable of one day competing against human soccer world champions. In the meantime, the competition primarily fosters young talent, practical research, and the development of robotics and artificial intelligence. With teams from more than 50 nations, RoboCup is considered one of the world's largest competitions for intelligent robots.