The Beijing robotic football players have demonstrated their breakthrough
In an industrial zone of the Chinese capital, the final of the legendary Robot Football League took place — an exciting competition that heralds a new era in artificial intelligence and automation. This was no ordinary match: humanoids in black and purple jerseys with individual numbers, resembling seven-year-old children who do not always confidently maintain their balance, showcased their skills on the playing field. Since their movements were controlled by internal algorithms rather than coaches or operators, each pass, shot, and defensive attempt were the result of artificial intelligence. The game lasted two halves of ten minutes each and concluded with a score of 5:3 in favor of one of the University of Tsinghua’s teams, named Vulcan. Unlike human athletes, the robots often fell onto each other in their pursuit of the ball, but their main message was far from entertainment — it was a demonstration of the level of autonomy of technologies and progress in robotics, according to Bloomberg. After every goal scored, the robots raised their fists in a joyful gesture, although it was quite easy to shoot into their goal, given the weakness of their goalkeepers. These competitions are not just a spectacle but a genuine platform for demonstrating the capabilities of modern machines and artificial intelligence. Leading academic teams participated, including Tsinghua University and Beijing University of Information Science and Technology. According to official sources, the victory went to the Vulcan team, and the intense game showcased a high level of technological readiness and China’s ambitions for leadership in robotics. China invests enormous amounts of money into developing this field, as confirmed by figures. According to the analytical company Morgan Stanley, the robotics market in the country has already surpassed $47 billion — about 40% of the global total — and is growing rapidly by approximately 23% annually. By 2028, the market could reach an impressive $108 billion. Experts note that China not only possesses the largest domestic market but is also transforming into a global leader in innovative technologies, advancing next-generation robot technologies. The blending of high technology with culture is another characteristic feature of China. Over recent months, the country has hosted various events with humanoids, which have become not only technological achievements but also cultural events. In April, Beijing hosted a half-marathon featuring humanoid robots running, while in May, Hangzhou held a kickboxing tournament. However, despite demonstrating progress in artificial intelligence and robotics, these events could hardly be called original — many robots waved their arms in the air, fell, or even lost parts of their bodies during competitions. For example, in the marathon with 21 participants, only six finished, and one robot even lost its head right at the start. Meanwhile, the football bots in Beijing maintained spatial orientation — they used cameras and sensors capable of recognizing a ball at a distance of up to 18 meters with 90% accuracy. They identified the goal, field markings, opponents, and other players, making decisions in real-time — a significant breakthrough in computer vision and artificial intelligence technologies. As Samir Menon, founder of the American startup Dexterity, Inc., notes, such demonstrations are not only impressive spectacles but also stimulate new ideas: “There will be many variations of robots and diverse applications of their capabilities.” The humanoid robots employed deep reinforcement learning — a complex algorithm that allows them to learn from mistakes while modeling situations, enabling real-time decision-making: passing, dribbling, shooting, or anticipating a teammate’s movement. This football match served as a kind of rehearsal for the upcoming World Games of Humanoid Robots, set to take place in Beijing in August 2025. The program includes more than ten sports, such as gymnastics, track and field, and, of course, football, signaling China’s strategic intention to establish leadership in sporting technologies as well.