Robotic football kicks off China's leap in humanoid robot innovation
(AGENCIES)A new era of robotic intelligence dawned in Beijing as the first test event for the 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games kicked off with a groundbreaking 3v3 AI football match.Held at the Beijing Smart E-sports Event Center, the competition was China's first fully autonomous robotic football tournament, and followed the success of the world's first humanoid robot half-marathon, held in Beijing in April.The RoBoLeague football showdown featured a display of advanced robotic technology. Unlike traditional remote-controlled competitions, the humanoid players relied solely on AI-driven strategies, showcasing real-time decision-making and coordinated teamwork.The optimised penalty system minimised interruptions, allowing the 1.2-to-1.5-meter-tall robots to execute fluid movements and well-orchestrated attacks mimicking human football tactics.Four elite teams emerged from the preliminaries to compete in the finals. The Blaze Team from Beijing Information Science and Technology University impressed with the robots' agile evasion maneuvers. Tsinghua University's Power Intelligent Team demonstrated seamless communication protocols that enabled precise passes. The Mountain-Sea Team from China Agricultural University stood out for its energy-efficient design, maintaining peak performance throughout the intense matches.The robotic football event builds on the momentum of April's historic half-marathon, in which 20 humanoid robot teams completed a 21.0975-kilometer course in Beijing's Daxing District. The Sky Project Ultra robot, also known as Tiangong Ultra, crossed the finish line to win the Humanoid Robot Half-Marathon.
China's humanoid robot sector has evolved rapidly from theoretical research to industrial implementation. Robots are now widely used in various Chinese industries, with robots evolving from task-specific machines to general-purpose assistants tailored for diverse environments, from construction sites to elderly care. Collaborative robots (cobots) are also widely used in automotive plants, working alongside human personnel.
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