Robot soccer thrills China as humanoids outperform national team
In Beijing, four university teams sent AI-powered robots onto the soccer pitch over the weekend in a fast-paced 3-on-3 tournament that delighted crowds and marked a first in China.
The fully autonomous matches—with no human control or intervention—offered a glimpse of what the upcoming World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing might look like. According to organizers, each robot operated independently using advanced AI strategies, making real-time decisions on movement, passing, and positioning.
Equipped with high-tech visual sensors, the robots were able to identify the ball, navigate the field, and even recover after falls. Still, not all could stay upright—several had to be carried off on stretchers, a moment that drew both laughter and admiration from the audience.
The tournament reflects China's broader push to develop AI-powered humanoid robots, using sports as a proving ground. From boxing to marathons to soccer, competitions are being designed to test real-world applications of robotics in dynamic environments.
Cheng Hao, founder and CEO of Booster Robotics — which provided the robot hardware — said sports offer the ideal pressure test for both hardware and software systems. "In the future, we may arrange for robots to play football with humans. That means we must ensure the robots are completely safe," Cheng said. "For example, a robot and a human could play a match where winning doesn't matter, but real offensive and defensive interactions take place. That would help audiences build trust and understand that robots are safe."
All four university teams used the same Booster robot models, but each developed its own algorithms for perception, strategy, and passing. Cheng explained that schools program variables like speed, force, and direction to give their teams a competitive edge.
In the final match, Tsinghua University's THU Robotics defeated China Agricultural University's Mountain Sea team 5–3, winning the inaugural championship.
"They (THU) did really well," said Mr. Wu, a Tsinghua supporter who attended the event. "But the Mountain Sea team (of Agricultural University) was also impressive. They brought a lot of surprises."
The event stood in sharp contrast to the fortunes of China's actual men's national team, which has only qualified once for the World Cup and has already been eliminated from the 2026 tournament in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
8 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Spain women's team coach Montse Tomé is ‘disappointed' after not having her contract extended
MADRID (AP) — Montse Tomé had been expecting to keep her job as coach of Spain's women's national team after leading it to the final of the European Championship last month and says she doesn't know why her contract wasn't extended. 'Things happen in soccer that you don't expect,' Tome said in an interview with Spanish radio Cadena Ser. The Spanish soccer federation announced Monday that it was not extending Tomé's contract and will replace her with former player Sonia Bermúdez. The announcement came two weeks after Spain lost the Euro 2025 final to England in a penalty shootout. Tomé, who took over the job after Spain won the 2023 World Cup, also led Spain to the title of the inaugural Women's Nations League last year. Tomé said she was taken by surprise with the federation's decision to not extend her contract that expires at the end of the month. She said federation president Rafael Louzán had told her that she would remain in charge if Spain did well at Euro 2025. 'He has always shown a lot of confidence in me, but I'm a little disappointed about how everything was handled. He didn't keep his word about the continuity. I felt that he was happy with my work,' Tomé said. 'It was hard to understand everything that happened since the final. It's understandable that the federation wants to go into a new direction, but that message wasn't really clear for me. They had given me a different impression.' Goodbye messages Tomé said she was not bothered by not receiving goodbye messages from her players on social media. 'I received many messages from them,' she said. 'I felt very respected by everyone. I'm not concerned about whether they posted them online or not.' The decision to replace Tomé — the first women to coach the senior women's team in Spain — was made by the federation's board members. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. She had been an assistant to former coach Jorge Vilda during the World Cup and was promoted in the fallout of former federation president Luis Rubiales' nonconsensual kiss of player Jenni Hermoso. Tomé had been criticized by some for not including Hermoso in recent call-ups, but she always maintained it was a decision based on sporting performances. 'I don't want to think it had anything to do with it,' Tomé said. 'Since I was appointed, they allowed me to make decisions based on my sporting criteria. No one told me to bring in this player or another. I've never had to send the list of players to a president.' ___ AP soccer:
Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Italian sportsman Mattia Debertolis dies after competing at World Games in China
The Italian sportsman Mattia Debertolis, who competed in foot orienteering, has died after featuring in an event at the World Games in China's southwest city of Chengdu. International Orienteering Federation president Tom Hollowell said in a statement on Tuesday that he was 'not able to adequately describe in words the unfathomable depth of sadness in this tragic loss of life.' World Games organizers had previously said that Debertolis, 29, fell unconscious while participating in a men's middle-distance event last Friday. Debertolis was a member of the Italy team and had participated in several World Championships and World Cups. He placed fifth in the 2022 World Cup final relay. ___ AP sports:
Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Bundesliga set for longer games as Germany embraces more added time in soccer
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Bundesliga games will take longer this season as Germany joins a drive to calculate added time more precisely. Germany's top men's league is the latest to follow a trend set by the 2022 World Cup and the English Premier League by measuring the exact time taken up by events like red cards, penalties and injuries, and adding that amount on at the end of each half. 'We currently have just under 60 minutes of net playing time (with the ball in play), which will probably increase somewhat,' said Knut Kircher, the German refereeing body's managing director of sports and communication, in comments reported Tuesday by German agency dpa. The new Bundesliga season starts Aug. 22 but the changes have already taken effect in the men's second and third tiers. There's been a backlash against some decisions. ___ AP soccer:
