Move over, Messi! Robot footballers thrill crowds in South Korea
Thirty seconds before kick-off, humanoid robot footballers in red and blue jerseys await the referee’s signal in the South Korean port city of Incheon. The match setting is RoboCup, branded as the world’s largest robotics competition, where engineers are betting on a fully autonomous robot team that can one day defeat the FIFA World Cup […] The post Move over, Messi! Robot footballers thrill crowds in South Korea appeared first on The Namibian .
Thirty seconds before kick-off, humanoid robot footballers in red and blue jerseys await the referee’s signal in the South Korean port city of Incheon.
The match setting is RoboCup, branded as the world’s largest robotics competition, where engineers are betting on a fully autonomous robot team that can one day defeat the FIFA World Cup champions.
Unlike remote-controlled machines, RoboCup’s robots make decisions on their own once a game begins, testing dramatic recent advances in artificial intelligence.
On the field Friday, a referee shouted “stop!” as a shot flew out of bounds — prompting every robot to freeze instantly.
Moments later, one squad member — named “number one” — scored, to cheers from dozens of spectators.
But then came a foul: one robot barges into the goalkeeper, sending it crashing to the ground.
