30 humanoid robot teams to play soccer tournament in Beijing

China is preparing to host the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing from August 15 to 17, featuring athletic competitions among humanoid robots, with soccer as a highlight event. The tournament will include 30 teams from around the world, including China, the United States, Brazil, Germany, and Portugal, competing in fully autonomous five-a-side soccer matches. The robots are equipped with visual sensors to locate the ball and navigate the field, and they can recover from falls to continue playing. This event follows the RoboLeague held in June, which served as a precursor and showcased humanoid robots playing soccer for the first time. Teams are using advanced programming techniques such as imitation learning, where robots observe human movements and undergo extensive simulation training to master skills like dribbling, kicking, and shooting. Participants, including engineers from Tsinghua University, expressed excitement about competing on a global stage and demonstrating new algorithms. While some may view the competition as a novelty, experts see it as a valuable platform for