Move over Lionel Messi, here come the dribbling robots
EINDHOVEN: With the score tied 1-1, it’s going to a penalty shootout in a tense soccer match between teams from Israel and Australia.
The Australian goalkeeper braces for the shot as the Israeli striker pauses. Then all of a sudden he breaks into a dance. Perhaps he can be forgiven: He’s a robot, after all.
Welcome to the RoboCup, where more than a thousand soccer-playing robots from forty countries have descended on the Dutch technology Mecca of Eindhoven this week with one goal in mind: beat the humans.
The tournament’s mission is to defeat the human World Cup winners by 2050.
To achieve the goal, organisers have created multiple competition classes with plans to merge their techniques into a single squad capable of one day winning a man vs. machine matchup.
For now, Lionel Messi doesn’t need to look over his shoulder. Humanoid robots have difficulty keeping their balance.
NimbRO’s 3-foot striker sports a shock of white hair and a flashy pink bandanna.
Tournament director Rene van de Molengraft says the humanoid bots range from as little as $5,000 for the standard platform bots, when bought in bulk, to $35,000 or more for handmade adult-size models, which are taller.
Still a bargain compared to the $75 million Barcelona just paid for Brazil star Neymar.