The world’s first soccer match between autonomous humanoid robots will take place in Beijing. Without human intervention, they will play two 10-minute halves, using computer vision, sensors and AI to make their own decisions on the field.
The world’s first soccer match between autonomous humanoid robots will take place in Beijing. Without human intervention, they will play two 10-minute halves, using computer vision, sensors and AI to make their own decisions on the field.
According to Interesting Engineering, the final game of the RoBoLeague World Robot Soccer League will take place on June 28 at the Yizhuang Development Zone in Beijing. The match will feature four Chinese teams that have qualified from among China’s top technical universities, including Tsinghua and Beijing University of Information Science.
Each team will field three players and one substitute. The game will last two 10-minute halves with a 5-minute break. The robots will play without any human intervention: they will run, receive the ball, bypass opponents and try to score goals.
According to the organizers, the humanoids are equipped with optical cameras and sensors capable of detecting the ball at a distance of up to 20 meters with an accuracy of over 90%. The systems also allow them to recognize the lines of the field, the goal, partners and opponents. A key component is deep reinforcement learning, which allows the robots to independently improve their game strategy through experience.
The match is a prelude to a larger event, the World Humanoid Robot Games, to be held in Beijing in August. There are 11 sports disciplines expected there, including running, gymnastics, synchronized dancing, team soccer and even real-life scenarios like sorting medications or serving guests in hotels.
In April, Beijing held a half-marathon with the participation of robots, which was the first step towards the large-scale integration of robotics into sports formats. In August, the 10th World Robot Conference will also be held, where more than 200 companies and almost 100 new products will be presented. China is actively promoting itself as a global leader in the field of robotic solutions and AI innovations.
We also previously reported on how Tokyo-based tech startup H2L showed off a device that can transfer full-body motion and human strength to control humanoid robots. The technology looks like a mix of Robocop and Evangelion.
