Bowdoin College’s Northern Bites team watches closely as their robot battles for the ball with a competing robot from the University of Texas on May 2 when Bowdoin hosted the 2009 RoboCup U.S. Open. Competitors had to create software for the two-legged robots, which could independently play soccer against each other. “Once we put them on the field, they are completely autonomous,” said Professor Eric Chown, the Bowdoin team adviser. Northern Bites finished fourth in the competition. (Roger S. Duncan photo)Bowdoin senior and team captain Tucker Hermans fixes a faulty part in a robot during a RoboCup match on Saturday afternoon. (Roger S. Duncan photo).A robot looks upfield after kicking the ball. (Roger S. Duncan photo).