We are deeply saddened to report that Prof. Gerhard Kraetzschmar passed away last week.  He had been battling health issues, but seemed to be on the road to recovery.  Reports from his family are that his condition took an unexpected turn for the worse over the weekend and he passed away peacefully after a rapid decline.

Gerhard was a regular participant in RoboCup since the very early years of our organization.  He was a trustee of the RoboCup Federation starting in 2005, and served as Vice President from 2009 until 2016.  In 2016, he served as General Chair of RoboCup in Leipzig, Germany.  His contributions to RoboCup over the years were substantial and numerous.

Gerhard was a dear friend to many of us in our community.  We will remember him as always smiling and full of energy – a presence in the room.  He leaves us all with very fond memories and a strong legacy of contributions to AI, robotics, and RoboCup that will continue to live on.

The German RoboCup Regional Committee