One sentence / English
FC Isar Robotics is a team of students and researchers based at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), developing autonomous humanoid football robots.
FC Isar / Public resources
Press
The facts, words and images behind FC Isar Robotics.
The team, at a glance
Fact sheet
| Based at | Technical University of Munich (TUM), Germany; lab and workshop at Garching Forschungszentrum |
|---|---|
| Team | Students and researchers based at TUM |
| Focus | Autonomous humanoid robot football |
| Platform | Booster T2 hardware; team-developed football software |
| Engineering | Perception, localisation, behaviour, motion and simulation |
| Website | fcisar.de |
| Press contact | info@fcisar.de |
Ready to use
Introduce FC Isar
More descriptions · 50 / 100 words · English & German
English
50 words
FC Isar Robotics is a team of students and researchers based at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), developing autonomous humanoid football robots. Using TUM infrastructure, the team builds its own software for perception, localisation, decision making and motion on Booster T2 hardware, working towards RoboCup in Nürnberg in 2027.
100 words
FC Isar Robotics is a team of students and researchers based at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), developing autonomous humanoid robots that play football. The team conducts robotics research and develops its systems using TUM infrastructure. Booster T2 hardware provides the platform for the team’s own software for perception, localisation, decision making and motion. Simulation and tests on the pitch help turn individual components into a working football system. Working towards the RoboCup World Championship in Nürnberg in 2027, FC Isar connects robotics research with practical engineering, shared learning and public demonstrations that make autonomous systems accessible through football.
Deutsch
One sentence
FC Isar Robotics ist ein Team aus Studierenden und Forschenden an der Technischen Universität München (TUM), das autonome humanoide Fußballroboter entwickelt.
50 words
FC Isar Robotics ist ein Team aus Studierenden und Forschenden an der Technischen Universität München (TUM). Mit Infrastruktur der TUM entwickelt es autonome humanoide Fußballroboter. Eigene Software für Wahrnehmung, Lokalisierung, Entscheidungen und Bewegung auf Basis des Booster T2 bringt das Team seinem Ziel näher: der RoboCup Weltmeisterschaft 2027 in Nürnberg.
100 words
FC Isar Robotics ist ein Team aus Studierenden und Forschenden an der Technischen Universität München (TUM), das autonome humanoide Fußballroboter entwickelt. Das Team forscht und entwickelt seine Systeme mit Infrastruktur der TUM. Es verbindet die Hardwareplattform Booster T2 mit eigener Software für Wahrnehmung, Lokalisierung, Entscheidungen und Bewegung. Simulationen und Tests auf dem Spielfeld helfen dabei, einzelne Komponenten zu einem funktionierenden Fußballsystem zusammenzuführen. Auf dem Weg zur RoboCup Weltmeisterschaft 2027 in Nürnberg verbindet FC Isar Robotikforschung mit Ingenieurarbeit, Zusammenarbeit und öffentlichen Vorführungen. So werden autonome Systeme durch Fußball anschaulich und für ein breites Publikum zugänglich, vom Experiment bis zum gemeinsamen Spiel.
Logos & identity
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The work behind the team
Background & milestones
FC Isar Robotics is a team of students and researchers based at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), developing autonomous humanoid football robots. The team conducts research and develops its systems using TUM infrastructure. The project connects robotics research, software development and practical engineering through a shared task on the football pitch.
Read the background & milestones
The team uses Booster T2 humanoid hardware and develops its own football software. The engineering work spans perception, localisation, behaviour, motion and simulation. A robot needs to recognise the ball and field markings, estimate where it is, choose an action and execute it while sharing the pitch with other robots. Simulation provides a place to develop and test behaviours before trying them on hardware.
The team is working towards the RoboCup World Championship in Nürnberg in 2027 and aims to take part in the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing that year. Football makes the engineering tangible: a perception error can change a decision, and a movement that works in simulation still has to hold up on the pitch. These competition goals give the team a shared direction for its research and development.
The story also happens away from the scoreboard: students learning to work across disciplines, testing a change repeatedly, preparing equipment for travel and explaining robotics to visitors. Those everyday moments offer a way to report on autonomous systems through the people building them. Interviews, lab visits and longer documentary projects can be discussed with the team through info@fcisar.de.
- 2026
Team formation and public launch
The public launch announcement is dated 13 August 2026.
- Now
Developing the football software
Perception, localisation, behaviour, motion and simulation on the Booster T2 platform.
- 2027
Working towards Nürnberg
A competition goal; qualification and entry must be confirmed separately.
- 2027
Working towards Beijing
Working towards taking part in the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing in 2027.
Stories worth following
A starting point for your story
Documentary / recurring series
Road to Nürnberg
Follow a student team from everyday lab work towards its goal of playing at RoboCup in Nürnberg in 2027. The uncertainty is part of the story.
Explore this story
What does it take to turn a group of students, a humanoid platform and a football ambition into a team that can perform on the pitch?
Possible scenes
- Start with the people: why they joined, what they study and what each is trying to solve.
- Return to a concrete engineering thread: a behaviour that fails, the diagnosis, the next test and what changed.
- Follow preparation beyond code: equipment, travel, teamwork and balancing the project with university.
- Build towards competition preparation and, if entry is confirmed, Nürnberg. Let the outcome determine the ending.
People to speak to
Team members across research, software and organisation, and team leads by arrangement.
Making it happen
Proposed format: a short documentary or several return visits across the season. Discuss scope, access, consent, footage rights and dates before production. No guaranteed qualification, result or exclusive access is implied.
Match report / sports feature
A match is more than the score
Tell the story of a match through preparation, decisions on the sideline and the technical work behind each passage of play.
Explore this story
What worked, what broke and what can the team learn before the next whistle?
Possible scenes
- Before play: setup, the team briefing and what the robot is being asked to do.
- During play: a wide view of the pitch, reactions and clearly identified key moments.
- After play: verified score, interventions, failure analysis and the next engineering step.
People to speak to
A team member before play and a short technical debrief afterwards, subject to the match schedule.
Making it happen
Arrange access with the team and event organiser. Pitch positions, filming rights, accreditation and broadcast permissions are event-specific. Identify whether each sequence is autonomous, teleoperated or a demonstration; confirm scores and opponent names.
Lab visit / technology explainer
From a camera image to a kicked ball
Make robot football understandable by following one task through perception, localisation, decision making and movement.
Explore this story
Why is a ball that looks easy to a human still a demanding robotics problem?
Possible scenes
- Film a simple task at normal speed, including unsuccessful attempts.
- Ask an engineer to explain what the robot sees and how a decision is made.
- Compare a simulation with a hardware test and explain the limitations.
People to speak to
The students and researchers developing the demonstrated system, with technical interviews by arrangement.
Making it happen
Agree the demonstration and a safe camera position in advance. Use only screens cleared for filming. A visually convincing clip should not be used as evidence of general autonomy.
Portrait / campus feature / audio
The people building the team
Explore the student lives behind the robot: learning unfamiliar systems, sharing responsibility and finding time between lectures and the lab.
Explore this story
What do students learn when their work has to function together in a real robot?
Possible scenes
- Pair an interview with the person’s actual task rather than a staged keyboard shot.
- Show collaboration, handovers and an explanation between teammates.
- Connect a specific challenge to what changed in how the team works.
People to speak to
Members with different backgrounds and responsibilities, based on their availability and consent.
Making it happen
Suitable for a written profile, photo essay, podcast or campus report. Confirm names, roles and personal details with each participant.
Questions & context
Do you build the robot hardware yourselves?
The current platform is the Booster T2. FC Isar develops its football software. Describe the hardware manufacturer and the team’s own work separately.
Are the robots autonomous?
Autonomous football is the development goal. For each filmed sequence, confirm the actual operating mode and any human intervention with the demonstrator.
Are the 2027 competition entries confirmed?
RoboCup in Nürnberg and the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing are the team’s competition goals for 2027. Confirm entry and the event schedules before reporting participation as settled.
Can we film in the lab or at a match?
Discuss a lab visit with the team. Match access and footage rights also depend on the organiser and venue. Send the intended format, dates, crew size and equipment.
Can you supply video or arrange interviews?
Ask about available footage, its technical context and usage rights. Interviews and filming sessions are arranged around team and competition commitments.
Can we reuse the photographs?
This local review selection has captions and source records. Photographer credits and publication permissions still need confirmation before external distribution.
Press enquiries
Talk to the team
For interviews, further background and image requests, contact FC Isar Robotics.
Include your outlet or project, story, deadline and proposed dates.