The venue and tech preparations are almost ready for the final of the first robot artificial intelligence (AI) football competition in China, which will be held on Saturday in Beijing.
The event, hosted by the RoBoLeague World Robot Soccer League, also serves as the first test competition for the upcoming inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games, the 3-on-3 humanoid robot football match will take place in the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, widely known as the Yizhuang Development Zone.
During the event, all participating robots will use AI strategies to compete autonomously, combining the cutting-edge technology with the charm of traditional sports.
At present, the layout of the venue for the final has been basically completed, which can accommodate about 500 people to watch the game up close and see the robot's operating accuracy and intelligent decision-making.
The official competition venue is an artificial turf 14 meters in length and 9 meters in width, which is much smaller than a regular football field. This is due to considerations of the robot's moving speed.
Following rounds of fierce qualifying games, four Chinese teams of humanoid robot footballers have been selected to take part in the finals on Saturday evening.
The teams also made their final preparations on Friday. Through two-on-two group simulation matches, they are constantly improving their strategies through trial and error and debugging.
The robots have a total of 23 freely moving joints on their heads, chests, arms, legs and other parts of their bodies, which enables them to achieve flexible movement and accurate posture control. Unlike traditional football, the robots use the tiptoe to push the ball in the game.
"If the robot touches the ball with its toes, the movement is more stable and smoother. If the robot pushes the ball with the arch of its foot, the contact area with the ball will be larger, which requires a higher degree of control over the ball's movement path when passing or shooting," said Wang Yonghao, who is in charge of the operations of Saturday's competition.
Robot developers at Beijing-based Booster Robotics said that as a highly competitive sport, football not only requires the robots to have the ability to perceive the field, but also challenges their resistance to impact in movement.
"Our robot can currently withstand a 15 Newton-second impact," said Xu Lei, marketing manager of Booster Robotics.
In addition to the basic "physical conditions" to be a football player, developers said that the robot also has a correspondingly large power consumption, enough to last a whole football game.
"There are halftime breaks in robots’ competitions, but they don't actually need those. Our robots can play for up to two hours on battery life. In fact, we test each batch of our robots with 20 consecutive football matches without stopping. If the battery runs out, we replace the battery until the end of the 20 games," said Cheng Hao, founder and CEO of Booster Robotics.
Venue, tech preparations almost ready for AI robot football match in Beijing
The U.S. military strike against Venezuela and capture of its president, Nicolas Maduro, has shocked the international community, triggering a steady stream of condemnation and serious concerns worldwide.
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay and Spain issued a joint statement on Sunday, expressing serious concern about and firm opposition to the U.S. unilateral military operations in Venezuela.
The U.S. actions contravene fundamental principles of international law, particularly the prohibition on the use or threat of force, and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States, as enshrined in the UN Charter, constituting an extremely dangerous precedent against peace and regional security, according to the statement.
In expressing profound concern and firm rejection, the six countries stressed in the statement that the situation in Venezuela must be resolved exclusively by peaceful means, and through dialogue, negotiation and respect for the will of the Venezuelan people in all its expressions, without external interference and in accordance with international law.
Only an inclusive political process, led by Venezuelans, can lead to a democratic, sustainable solution that respects human dignity, according to the statement.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez condemned the U.S. raid in Venezuela as a violation of international law, adding that the Spanish government always advocates and defends international law and peaceful resolution of conflicts.
Addressing a meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez demanded the unconditional and immediate release of Maduro and his wife.
Noting that Latin America and the Caribbean are a zone of peace, he expressed his firm opposition to the use of force, which is an unshakable principle.
Any aggression against Venezuela shall be regarded as an attack against all CELAC member states, and nations must collectively oppose it, he stressed.
The South African government denounced the U.S. attack on Venezuela as a violation of international law, according to a statement released on Sunday.
History has repeatedly demonstrated that military invasions against sovereign states yield only instability and deepening crisis, the statement said.
South Africa calls on the UN Security Council to urgently convene a session to address this situation, according to the statement.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said what happened in Venezuela demonstrates that international law and the UN Charter are losing their practical effectiveness.
U.S. military action against Venezuela marks a dangerous precedent, as similar actions could be taken against any other nations, he said.
In addition, the foreign ministries of Namibia, Singapore, Oman and Pakistan also issued statements on the same day, expressing grave concern over U.S. interference in Venezuela's internal affairs.
They emphasized the need to uphold international law and the principles of the UN Charter while respecting Venezuela's sovereignty.
They also called on all parties to exercise restraint and resolve the crisis through peaceful dialogue.
U.S. move against Venezuela sparks condemnation, concerns worldwide
