The world’s first-ever football match between AI-powered humanoid robots was held in China recently. This match featured humanoid robots wearing black and purple jerseys, competing in a 3 vs 3 match, which was played for two 10-minute halves, a report claimed. In this match, the movements of the robots were guided by built-in algorithms. Instead of testing fast-paced action, the event was said to be aimed at showing balance, agility, and AI-based decision-making. As per the report, the robots even raised their fists after scoring. These games, in which Chinese technology institutions reportedly participated, highlighted developments in machine autonomy. Such a match is said to be the first in China and may be a preview for the upcoming World Humanoid Robot Games, which are also set to be held in Beijing. According to a report by China News Network (seen by Bloomberg), teams from Tsinghua University and Beijing Information Science and Technology University participated. A Tsinghua team, named Vulcan, won the championship, the report added. A video of the same was also shared by Beijing Evening News.
What the organisers of the AI robot football match said
In a statement to the news agency AP, the organisers of the AI robot match said that a key aspect of the match was that all the participating robots operated fully autonomously using AI-driven strategies without any human intervention or supervision.Fitted with advanced visual sensors, the robots were able to detect the ball and move around the field with reasonable agility. They were built to stand up on their own after falling, though some still needed to be carried off the field on stretchers by staff during the match, adding a realistic element to the event, the organisers noted.These robots were supplied by a company named Booster Robotics, the publication adds. The company’s CEO, Cheng Hao, said that sports competitions provide a practical environment for testing humanoid robots, supporting progress in both algorithms and integrated hardware-software systems.
