Imagine this scenario: robots defeat humans in the 2050 World Cup.
I was surprised to find that there is an organization dedicated to just that objective, namely: RoboCup.org
RoboCup is an international joint project to promote AI, robotics, and related fields. It is an attempt to foster AI and intelligent robotics research by providing a standard problem where wide range of technologies can be integrated and examined. RoboCup chose to use soccer game as a central topic of research, aiming at innovations to be applied for socially significant problems and industries. The ultimate goal of the RoboCup project is By 2050, develop a team of fully autonomous humanoid robots that can win against the human world champion team in soccer.
The RoboCup initiative is a fascinating confluence of various disciplines that will accelerate evolutionary robotics and the development of personal robotic servants.
Related posts:
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I think this could be accomplished as early as 2020, let alone 2050.
Soccer seems like a hard sport for robots, since they’d have to move so much and kick constantly, which could throw off their balance.