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Robot Makers Say World Cup Will Be Theirs By 2050

Posted by timothy on from the our-new-robotic-goalies dept.

mindpixel writes "The Scotsman is reporting that the Japanese are very confident they can build a robotic team that will win the World Cup by 2050 using a descendent of the 38cm tall VisiON which operates completely independently of human input, making its own decisions based on information that it perceives with its 360 degree vision, and is able to recognise the football, approach it and deliver a hefty kick. It is also able to identify an opponent and shield the ball in much the same way as a human player does."

22 of 345 comments (clear)

  1. im going to watch that by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny


    in my flying car !

  2. Sure by slobber · · Score: 3, Funny

    Just replace players with tanks and the cup is yours!

    --
    "You mortals are so obtuse." -Q
    1. Re:Sure by mboverload · · Score: 3, Insightful

      People dont seem to GET the challenges of AI, hell, getting a freakign robot to WALK took us DECADES. Now they want them to play soccer? This is flying cars all over again.

    2. Re:Sure by FleaPlus · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Now they want them to play soccer? This is flying cars all over again.

      Psst... they already do play soccer:

      http://www.robocup.org/02.html

  3. What about feigning Injuries?? by TheShadowHawk · · Score: 5, Funny

    Will the robots also be able to fall down and scream in 'agony' when the opposition barely nicks them in the hope of getting a easy penalty?

    --
    Friends don't let Friends use Internet Explorer.
    1. Re:What about feigning Injuries?? by KiloByte · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I'm sorry, but the "3 rules of robotics" are just some do-gooder blabbing that no one cares about the slightest.

      In fact, military purposes are one of key fields for robots.

      --
      The creatures outside looked from Alt-Right to Antifa; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
    2. Re:What about feigning Injuries?? by SubtleNuance · · Score: 4, Funny

      If they make them in Italy - yes.

    3. Re:What about feigning Injuries?? by imr · · Score: 5, Funny

      No, they won't, they're japanese robots.
      The italian robots, tho', will fall without anyone in a 1,5m radius.
      The argentinian robots will use their hands, and they will have 8 of them.
      The german robots will be be very fair ... as long as they win the game, if they are loosing around 15 mns before the end, they will begin to break the other robots legs.
      The french robots will have so much cosmetics enhancements because of all the commercials they play in, that they will be barely able to run.
      The british team wont have a robot goalkeeper.
      The us robots will make everybody laugh but nobody will show it. Despite their advanced design (and the heavy armor of the goalkeeper) their programmation will be terrible. They wont get anything of the game and will err randomly on the field and will even fall when there isnt anybody in a 5 meters radius. Yet the referees will still continue to be really really nice to them since the fifa will still want the us market.
      As for Brasil, they won't have any robots but real players and will continue to win.

    4. Re:What about feigning Injuries?? by HybridJeff · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Well I disagree with you on that one. Robotic soldiers would result in more death, not less. Robotic soldiers would allow rich countries to wage war much more freely, as there would be no body bags coming home, and much less public resistance towards the war. This would result in more wars, with more civilian casulties, all be it fewer deaths of invading soldiers since they would mostly be robotic.

  4. Physical contact by Asterixian · · Score: 5, Interesting

    So what happens when one of the human players on the other team does a slide tackle on the robot? Does the robot fall down? Does the robot get damaged? Does the human get injured? IANASP, but it seems like physical contact between opposing players is so common that replacing man with machine is either clumsy, scary, or both.

  5. Very close already... by jemenake · · Score: 4, Funny

    Well, even today, I can build you a one-robot team that will, at least, would never lose.

    I needs no batteries or wheels. However, it is 24 feet wide and 8 feet high. If the ball is stiffly inflated, we can actually reduce the size of this robot down to about 23 feet wide by 7.5 feet tall. :)

    1. Re:Very close already... by davidescott · · Score: 3, Funny

      Add a canon and you could have a good shot at winning.

  6. As long as they're not white by Shadow+Wrought · · Score: 4, Funny

    and playing cricket we should be OK.

    --
    If brevity is the soul of wit, then how does one explain Twitter?
  7. secret play by Tablizer · · Score: 4, Funny

    We'll just slashdot 'em in the final round

    --
    Table-ized A.I.
  8. Snake oil by Alomex · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Yet another product release by the Snake Oil corporation otherwise known as AI.

    Content-free statements like the 2050 press release is what gives AI a bad name. Serious AI researchers would be well advised to ostracized people who make such half hazardly statements, yet they seem to embrace them: the overly (and misguidedly) ambitious robot soccer competition is part of the main conference in the field (IJCAI).

  9. And one more thing... by GeorgeMcBay · · Score: 4, Funny


    making its own decisions based on information that it perceives with its 360 degree vision, and is able to recognise the football, approach it and deliver a hefty kick. It is also able to identify an opponent and shield the ball in much the same way as a human player does.

    And if that doesn't convince you they'll win the World Cup, perhaps you need a demonstration of the man-killing laser beams that shoot out of their eyes, meatbag.

  10. Shape Up by Rie+Beam · · Score: 4, Funny

    "a descendent of the 38cm tall VisiON"



    38cm = 14.9606299 inches, or about a foot and two inches



    Nothing to fear here. Except maybe leg-humping offenses.

  11. because I can't help it by bersl2 · · Score: 5, Funny

    The World Cup? I'd say that they've set a pretty high

    GOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!

    <ducks>

  12. Kicking and blocking aren't the only things by dmccarty · · Score: 3, Interesting
    The biggest challenges aren't kicking and blocking. How will they handle a goalie bot being able to recognize an incoming ball and block it. And what if the ball has spin on it? 2050 seems like a long way away, but if you look at the state of today's vision recognition we have a long way to go.

    Also, there's the interesting question of logistics: will the World Cup champion team want to play against a team of robots? How would you like to miss the ball and kick your shin right into a robot's aliminum alloy leg? Ouch!

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  13. Re:Umm, rules anyone/ by nyekulturniy · · Score: 3, Funny

    Can they train a robot to roll on the ground, screaming "My support units!" in hope of drawing a penalty shot?

    Maybe the Italian robots.

    --
    Nyekulturniy... Proudly confusing readers and editors since 1981!
  14. But the real question is... by saddino · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...can they design an authentic robotic soccer hooligan? (powered by alcohol of course)

  15. I'm surprised no one has said this yet. by Xyrus · · Score: 3, Funny

    All you balls are belong to us!

    ~X~

    --
    ~X~