So, uhh, apparently China started an AI robot soccer league?
Now, that might seem a bit low-quality for an AI robot soccer game, but consider the fact that there was almost no human involvement in this match, and that the technology will only improve, and you've got yourself a soccer league that might actually be worth watching.
And it's really much the same as the real sport.
For example:
Sorry, had to.
Some actual journalism from NBC News:
Equipped with advanced visual sensors, the child-sized robots were able to identify the ball and navigate the field with some halting agility. They were also designed to stand up on their own after falling, though some did require the help of biological humans, including one who was dragged off the field after tipping over near the goal.
And before you go mocking China for the soccer match, consider this:
By 2050, China is expected to have 302.3 million humanoid robots in use, far ahead of the U.S. projection of 77.7 million, the report added, noting these would likely be used for 'repetitive, simple, and structured work,' like in factories.
Also interesting to note: The 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games will be held in Beijing from August 15 to August 17.
My money's on the Chinese!
But how is sports related to AI robotics?
Cheng Hao, founder and CEO of Booster Robotics — the company that supplied the robot players at Saturday's soccer tournament — said sports competitions are a testing ground for humanoid robots. Their successes and stumbles on the field help accelerate the development of both algorithms and integrated hardware-software systems.
So while the above soccer game was quite the parody, we can expect big things from Booster Robotics in the future. And it seems we Americans need to step up our robotics game if we want to keep up with the Chinese.
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