Like a tabletop football game figurine, the RoboKeeper consists of a goalkeeper mannequin which can be rotated
to the left or right by an axis attached to the feet and thus jumps for the left or right goalpost. Two cameras
mounted above the goal provide pictures of the game scene. The Kontron KBox A-103 generates a three-dimensional
image of the goal area from the pictures taken in real time. The cameras record the ball at over 85 frames per
second. From this data, the Kontron industrial computer calculates the ball position and determines the speed
and direction of the ball. As soon as a player kicks the ball towards the goal, the computer calculates the
point at which the ball will cross the goal line and controls the actuators within fractions of a second, to
bring the goalie dummy onto the ball's path at up to 50 km/h. RoboKeeper reliably blocks penalty shots at up to
100 km/h speed. Even balls that swerve, bounce or rebound off the sides cannot deceive the electronic
goalkeeper.
Mobile entertainment device
The RoboKeeper is now used commercially by 4attention Sports Marketing & Event Team worldwide for entertainment
purposes. The robot system is robust, insensitive to transport and vibrations, and easy to assemble. For safety
reasons, a programmable logic controller (PLC) acts as a kill switch and stops the robot in its tracks as soon
as a light barrier in front of the device is interrupted. This prevents a player in the goal area from being hit
by the goalkeeper mannequin and possibly being injured.
