Why watch real people exert energy playing sports when you can just watch robots do it!? Well, that is the general idea behind the Robot World Cup, or RoboCup, held in Istanbul, Turkey.
Teams from around the world entered their robot squads in hopes of winning the coveted title. This year’s overall winner was Virginia Tech’s Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory who walked away with two division awards for its DARwin and CHARLI robots.
The final score in the adult division was 1-0.
Ok, it’s true, “Go Virginia Tech Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory!” doesn’t roll off the tounge quite like “Go Barça!” or “Go Galaxy,” but hey, we’ll take it.
Much like a normal game of soccer, the robots were tasked with putting the ball into the net.
Of course, these robots move at a snail’s pace compared to their human counterparts, but that’s not to say they can’t get down on the soccer field.
These robots could kick the ball, score goals, and take on opponents head-to-head. Plus, they never complain and call penalties on the competition!
The event began in 1997 as has brought together robot makers from a variety of disciplines including motion tracking, articial intelligence, wireless communication and precision movement control.
(Via Techland)
