A group of six humanoid robots powered by an artificial intelligence program is set to engage in the first-ever three-on-three robot soccer match in China next weekend.
The robot match is being sponsored by what is being touted as the RoBoLeague World Robot Soccer League, which is being hosted in Beijing’s Yizhuang Development Zone, according to The New York Post.
The game featuring four Chinese robot teams is part of next year’s World Humanoid Robot Games.
The six robots, three per side, will play two 10-minute halves, with a 5-minute break, completely autonomously with no human assistance on the field.
Recently, robot teams from Tsinghua University and Beijing Information Science and Technology showcased their capabilities in a test game, where they demonstrated the ability to run, track a ball using their own cameras, and kick it into a goal post.
“The World Robot Soccer League will be the first test competition for the 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games and China’s first-ever 3-versus-3 AI humanoid robot football match as well, which will put the participating robots’ endurance and agility to the test,” event organizer Dou Jing told China Central Television (CCTV).
Programmers said that the AI system used to train the robots is taught to track the white soccer ball, and as long as nothing else on the field is white, they can track the ball as it is kicked around the field. The robots are programmed with a system called deep reinforcement learning, which enables them to learn through trial and error, and is reportedly more than 90 percent accurate.
Neither the T-800 nor the T-1000 was available for comment on the upcoming tournament of the RoBoLeague World Robot Soccer League.
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