AI-powered soccer robots could be game-changers in the sports world
It wasn't so long ago that esports turned the world of sports on its head, bringing in new types of fans and competitors from across the globe.
Now the question is, will robot sports be the next big game-changer?
On June 28, four teams of humanoid robots faced off in 3-on-3 soccer matches in Beijing, China.
It was a preview for next month's World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing.
The robots were fully autonomous, which means they used artificial intelligence to play, without any humans controlling them.
Thanks to science, goldfish can now drive
The robots were created by a company called Booster Robotics, and each team of robots was programmed by a different university.
Their programming focused on things like perception, decision-making, player formations and passing strategies — including variables such as speed, force and direction.
They used advanced visual sensors to keep track of the ball.
In the end, Tsinghua University's THU Robotics won the championship by defeating the China Agricultural University's Mountain Sea team by a score of 5-3.
Although the robots were designed to be able to get up on their own, that didn't always happen. Several times throughout the match, robot players were taken off the field away on stretchers. (Image credit: Ng Han Guan/The Associated Press)
Cheng Hao, founder and CEO of Booster Robotics, said that robot sports is a great way to test out algorithms and speed up the development of robot tech.
And this is just the beginning.
From Aug. 15-17, Beijing will hold the World Humanoid Robot Games, where robots will play soccer and 10 other sports, including gymnastics and track and field.
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