RoboCup Japan Open underway in Osaka, mechanical soccer still pretty boring (video)
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted May 3rd 2010 12:04PM
posted May 3rd 2010 12:04PM
They can be adapted to a wide range of human activities -- spying, killing, and assembling automobiles, to name but a few -- but as the various RoboCup competitions remind us time and again, our soccer fields are safe from robot encroachment for the time being. The above specimen, a joint venture by researchers at Osaka University and the Osaka Institute of Technology, is in the Adult Size Class, competing against robots between 130 and 160 centimeters (4.25 and 5.25 feet) tall. The goal of the RoboCup organization is to develop an autonomous soccer robot that will defeat a human team by 2050 -- and it sure looks like it will take forty years at least to reach that goal. See the robot take a slow, measured goal kick for yourself after the break.
SNAP!
who needs Renaldo...
@Bakerdk
Hey look... behind you!!
GOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLL!
@Bakerdk: maybe its called R9 (robot 9)
And by "Renaldo" of course I meant "Ronaldo"...wow...spelling skills abound...
.
@Bakerdk sorry, CR9 (called robot 9)
@Bakerdk
I just think it's so sad when even its creators don't cheer when it makes a goal. It seemed like no one cares...:( poor guy
Can you see it staring at the rather sexy looking robot in the corner?
Its a pervert...
@SamTatr
lol...i know, i saw that too... Dirty robot...so dirty...
@SamTatr
Don't tell me you've never had your eye on a little FemaleType action.
Well, if they just enable weapons in soccer the robots should at least have a fighting chance...
Wait - killing?
Oh crap
You know it's Japan when the UPPER height limit for "adult-sized" robots is 5¼ feet.
@Shunnabunich
Was going to make a similar comment. Haha.
It may be pretty boring but it's still more watchable than baseball or handegg.
I guess this means we're still far away from hot robot girlfriends... :/
I'm so lonely.
What are you doing ?!?!? That's the wrong goal, you near-sighted scrap pile! This is madness!
@SeeThreepio
Madness?
@SeeThreepio
Madnesss...????????
THIS IS Japan...hhh
Great, they have taught our robotic overlords to kick us to death. Now how will I sleep at night!
*Ahem* Since the ball is being kicked from the midfield mark, and not the box in front of the goal, this would be a kick initiating kickoff of the game, or possible a free kick after a foul is called. Not a goal kick. Sorry, couldn't let that one go...
I thought the title said Robocop. =[
If anime has taught me everything, beyond the fact that women can store bullets between their breasts and load their guns by simply bouncing and the bullets will just jump into the gun, *shakes head* sorry sidetracked....
No the first Cylons will come out of Japan. DOOOOOOM
@John Doe that should be anything.....granted Anime has taught me a lot though. o_O Most of it incorrect and wrong. But it has taught me a lot.
I liked it when the cute little Sony Aibos were competing.
Well that's boring. You guys should check out this year's FIRST Robotics game. Sure, it's not with humanoid robots, but it sure is a heck of a lot more exciting than that video. High school teams built and competed with their own 120lb. robots in a 3v3 soccer-like game, with obstacles all over the field. The first 20 seconds is automatic mode, where robots aim by themselves, and the next 2 minutes is player-controlled. The last 20 seconds robots try to elevate themselves off the ground to gain bonus points.
Here's a match from the St. Louis regional.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ1SkEY08xE (Match starts at 1:30)
They can play soccer (or football depending on your region), but can they play doom?
Japan is Always ahead of all other nations in Robots experimentals.
Good thing, but they have cheap labor just to the east (China)''-