Musing About Robotic Football

Explore the intriguing intersection of robotics, mathematics, and sports in this thought-provoking lecture by Shmuel Weinberger. Delve into the complex challenges a robot would face in navigating through blockers to reach an end zone or score a goal. Examine key concepts such as modeling, non-fibrations, speed, information processing, and sensing, while considering the implications of objects larger than points. Investigate the mathematical foundations related to a paper co-authored with D. Cohen and M. Farber, covering topics like real polynomials, topological complexity, and the cost of flexibility. Gain insights into topological football, non-vibrations, moving blockers, and the vibration hypothesis. Discuss the differences between hard balls and softballs, and explore connections to DNA. While not providing definitive solutions, this lecture offers a stimulating exploration of the complex interplay between mathematics and robotic sports performance.

Introduction
Outline
Steve Smail
Real polynomials
Topological complexity
Cost of flexibility
Topological football
Nonvibrations
Moving blockers
The vibration hypothesis
Hard balls
Softballs
DNA
Wrapup