ZETIN, a robotics club affiliated with the University of Seoul, has achieved a remarkable victory in the Humanoid Adult Size category of the RoboCup Korea Open 2026. The event took place from February 6 to 8, featuring a variety of competitions, particularly focusing on robot soccer. This specific category challenges teams to design humanoid robots between 100 cm and 200 cm tall that can autonomously play soccer, thus necessitating advanced technical skills in walking control, visual recognition, and strategic judgment.

During the competition, ZETIN showcased impressive teamwork by optimizing their roles across software, hardware, and vision teams. They developed a unique 'full-stack' control system capable of tracking the ball and goalposts despite the limitations posed by their hardware, which lacked foot joints. By employing IMU sensors and a state machine framework, ZETIN exhibited exceptional technical prowess and overcame real-world testing challenges such as hardware damage and data bottlenecks through effective simulation modeling. The students emphasized the significance of constructing the robotic control system from scratch and achieving tangible results.

The success of ZETIN can largely be attributed to collaborative efforts with industry partners. Professor Kang Ye-koo from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Seoul provided technical guidance, while support from the Robotics Solutions company Mobilio helped elevate their project’s completion quality. Following this significant victory, ZETIN is set to compete in the RoboCup 2026 International Competition in Incheon this June, where they will measure their skills against researchers from around the world.