Robots seize control of World Cup in Germany

 

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By Matt Whipp

Posted on 14 Jun 2006 at 17:50

There's an international football tournament going on right now in Germany.

But you might not know about it. You see, it's been overshadowed somewhat by the FIFA World Cup.

But Bremen is playing host to teams of a nature quite different to the preening brand-sponsored idols striding the pitches of stadiums across the country.

That's because Robocup2006 is strictly limited to robots, whether they are wheeled, humanoid or canine.

The 10th RoboCup will see some 2,500 scientists gather in 440 teams from 36 countries to tough it out for 33 world championship titles. But the ultimate prize is to push development to the point where robot football stars can take on their human equivalents - something that is thought to be achievable by 2050.

'For the coming decade, RoboCup 2006 is the first step towards a communal vision. This vision includes the development of a humanoid robot team of 11 players, which can win against a human soccer world champion team,' said Minoru Asada, president of the RoboCup Federation.

The quadroped squads are made up of Sony's now defunct line of robot dogs, the Aibo. Other leagues include a humanoid league divided into Kidsize, for machines standing shorter than 60cm, and TeenSize, for taller models.

In addition to the soccer competition, there are the RoboCupRescue tournaments which simulate a disaster scene and test how well the contenders cope in a rescue situation. Additionally, RoboCup@Home tasks the robots with performing domestic duties such as carrying objects and following its master. RobocupJunior is a mixed discipline for teams comprising younger students.

Even the commentators are robots, designed by scientists from Carnegie Mellon University in the US, and programmed not to interrupt each other during coverage.

For more information visit the RoboCup2006 website.