Global Current News
  • News
  • Finance
  • Technology
  • Automotive
  • Energy
  • Cloud & Infrastructure
  • Data & Analytics
  • Cybersecurity
  • Public Safety
  • News
  • Finance
  • Technology
  • Automotive
  • Energy
  • Cloud & Infrastructure
  • Data & Analytics
  • Cybersecurity
  • Public Safety
No Result
View All Result
Global Current News
No Result
View All Result

China’s robot soccer team trains for global debut

by More M.
August 5, 2025
in Technology
China

Credits: REUTERS/Florence Lo —

Italy’s opposition pushes back on SpaceX satellite role

Europe moves away from dependence on U.S. science

U.S., Russian space leaders discuss ISS, moon in Florida

When people thought human beings in China would be replaced by robots, we thought about the workplaces, and because of the growth of technology, we just thought the growth of AI and robots in general would be the main issue. For example, some restaurants have robotic waiters and waitresses; however, did you ever think that even elite athletes would be “replaced? Machines in a silent Chinese facility are being taught to play football—and not just for amusement. The world stage is their one and only highly ambitious training objective.

T1, a humanoid robot made in China, is planning to bring in moves

On a soccer pitch in Beijing, “T1” is practising shots and taking up positions. T1 is no ordinary player, however, but a gold medal-winning humanoid robot training for the first World Humanoid Robot Games, taking place in Beijing from August 15. T1 is part of a race to take the lead in humanoid robotics, as China looks to become more self-sufficient in advanced technologies.

The Games will bring together teams from more than 20 countries for events ranging from track and field to dance and martial arts, as well as practical applications such as industrial handling and medical services. T1 and its two teammates, fielded by Tsinghua University’s Hephaestus team, made history for China last month by winning gold in the “Humanoid, adult size” category of the 28-year-old RoboCup Humanoid League in Brazil.

Questions being asked:

  • Will it replace human beings?
  • Will football now be based on artificial beings?
  • Could this be the end of human athletes’ careers?

Humanoid robots are being actively promoted by the Chinese government

Zhao Mingguo, Chief Scientist at Booster Robotics, maker of the T1, said,

“The Chinese government is actively promoting humanoid robot development. To advance technology, the government is actively organising competitive events, and this sports games is one such experience.”

While some may dismiss such events as gimmicks, industry experts and participants see them as a decisive spur to advance humanoid robots toward practical real-world deployment. Although the Hephaestus team would hardly trouble even junior human opposition, Booster Robotics views soccer as a powerful test of perception, decision-making and control technologies that could later be applied in factories or homes.

The development of robot football in China

What began as a research initiative at a university has grown into a major national undertaking. The robots’ team, which consists of programmers, engineers, and scientists, has been working nonstop to optimise these humanoid machines for actual 3-on-3 games. Every robot has motion sensors, AI algorithms, and vision systems that enable it to pass, dribble, and even modify its strategy in response to the game’s progress.

The robots’ sophisticated vision sensors allowed them to recognise the ball and move quickly across the pitch. Additionally, they were made to get back up after falling on their own. To make the experience more realistic, personnel still had to carry a number of players off the field on stretchers during the game. Robots are “taking over” such that even an autonomous robot has completed a solo gallbladder surgery.

Hephaestus is building on software developed for Brazil to improve the players’ positioning skills. But the performance of humanoid robots still depends to a great extent on environmental variables such as the surface and hardness of the ground and the gradient of any slopes, according to Hephaestus Chen Penghui. It wouldn’t be the first time a soccer team had visited a new venue and bemoaned the state of the pitch. China’s robot team is now concentrating on football. The rise of technology: from robots playing football to Berlin unveiling an ambitious AI strategy to catch up on global innovations.

GCN.com/Reuters.

Global Current News

© 2025 by Global Current News

  • Contact
  • Legal notice

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Finance
  • Technology
  • Automotive
  • Energy
  • Cloud & Infrastructure
  • Data & Analytics
  • Cybersecurity
  • Public Safety

© 2025 by Global Current News