Taking humanoid soccer to the subsequent degree: An interview with RoboCup trustee Alessandra Rossi

A core goal of RoboCup is to advertise and advance robotics and AI analysis by the challenges provided by its numerous leagues. The final word objective of the soccer competitors is that, by 2050, a group of totally autonomous humanoid robots will defeat the latest winner of the FIFA World Cup. To deliver this imaginative and prescient nearer to actuality, the RoboCup Federation has introduced a number of adjustments to the leagues. We spoke with Alessandra Rossi, a trustee who has been concerned within the humanoid soccer league for a few years, to study extra.

Might you begin by introducing your self and inform us the way you’ve been concerned in RoboCup all through the years, since you’ve been concerned in so many points of the competitors!

I’m Alessandra Rossi from the College of Naples “Federico II”, the place I’m an Assistant Professor of Laptop Science. I started working with and collaborating in RoboCup in 2016, after I began my PhD on the College of Hertfordshire within the UK. I’m nonetheless affiliated with the College of Hertfordshire, as I stay a member of the humanoid KidSize group Daring Hearts, the longest repeatedly energetic group within the UK. After just a few years, I turned the group chief of Daring Hearts.

In 2019, I turned a member of each the Technical Committee and the Organizing Committee of the Humanoid League. After serving on the Technical Committee for 2 years, I used to be elected to the Govt Committee of the Humanoid League. In 2025, I used to be elected to the Board of Trustees for the primary time.

Over time, I’ve steadily elevated my involvement and dedication to RoboCup. I’ve at all times sought to actively have interaction the RoboCup group, each throughout competitions and outdoors of competitors intervals. I additionally work to encourage engagement between the foremost and junior leagues and to take part in regional RoboCup occasions.

Whereas working on the College of Hertfordshire as a Visiting Lecturer, we launched a web based module that makes use of RoboCup as a benchmark for educating robotics to undergraduate college students. The module remains to be operating. I initially served because the module chief, and this function has since been taken over by our Daring Hearts teammate, Bente Riegler.

Final 12 months, Maike Paetzel-Prüsmann, Merel Keijsers, and I (as lead authors), in collaboration with a number of trustees and plenty of members from completely different leagues, revealed a paper on the present and future challenges in humanoid robotics. The paper was revealed in Autonomous Robots and is, to the very best of my data, the primary to contain such a big and various group of contributors from throughout the RoboCup leagues. It discusses analysis inside RoboCup and the collaboration and synergies between the leagues.

Group picture of the humanoid league groups at RoboCup 2025.

I perceive that there are some adjustments deliberate for the leagues. Might say one thing about that, and particularly the adjustments that have an effect on the soccer and the humanoid facet.

The 2050 objective of the RoboCup Federation, as many individuals are most likely conscious, is for a group of humanoid robots to play in opposition to the winners of the FIFA World Cup. To attain this, it’s essential to push additional in that path. One of many key adjustments, subsequently, might be a stronger deal with humanoid robots.

One other main change would be the merger of the Commonplace Platform League (SPL) and the KidSize Humanoid League. This merged league could have the liberty to outline its actual format and to develop a brand new roadmap that aligns the whole league towards a shared goal. Whereas the 2050 objective itself stays unchanged, the trail towards attaining it should must be adjusted.

It’s essential to proceed fostering the engagement of groups within the leagues that might be affected by these adjustments. On the similar time, we should acknowledge that expertise is advancing quickly. Over the previous 12 months, specifically, we now have seen important progress in each {hardware} platforms and huge language fashions. As RoboCup serves as a worldwide benchmark for robotics analysis, we must always repeatedly try to advance expertise and analysis—whereas nonetheless having enjoyable.

Soccer is the complicated job and habits we’re learning, and it’s complicated in lots of dimensions: from bodily management and robotic movement, to communication and technique, and even human-like interactions. These embrace responding to the referee’s whistle, verbal and non-verbal communication amongst group members, interactions with the coach, and communication with the referee. All of those points will finally must be included into the humanoid league.

The RoboCup Federation has agreed some new partnerships with Unitree, Fourier and Booster. What influence will this have on the humanoid league? Will there be an ordinary platform component with groups utilizing a selected humanoid robotic?

I imagine we’ll see a mixture of completely different robots. With the three corporations at present sponsoring RoboCup, we now have already seen that their robots can obtain a variety of behaviors, and there have been important enhancements in robotic management. A few of these robots can stroll in a short time—virtually to the purpose of operating.

Initially, there could also be the potential of a number of groups utilizing the identical platform. Nonetheless, we should remember that each {hardware} and software program can change into out of date in a short time, so we have to stay open to a number of choices. A robotic that’s state-of-the-art right now might not be so in a 12 months or two. Because of this, committing to a single normal platform may restrict future progress.

Because of this, the present thought is to stay open to a number of platforms. Many groups have already got wonderful custom-built robots, and additional enhancements to those platforms needs to be inspired. That stated, the precise construction has not but been determined, and these choices might be made in session with the groups. It is very important give the RoboCup group the time it must adapt and transfer ahead.

There have been some massive advances within the humanoid adult-size league previously couple of years. What enhancements stood out to you at RoboCup2025 in Brazil?

One main change is that we now have added further robots to every group. Beforehand, groups performed with simply two robots per facet, however matches at the moment are performed three versus three.

One other vital enchancment is the decreased presence of people on the sector. There is no such thing as a longer a handler assigned to every robotic. Previously, a group member needed to stroll behind the robots in case they fell and risked being broken.

I’ve really performed in a match in opposition to the profitable humanoid group. Naturally, the human group received, however it was an pleasant and really fascinating sport, because the robots had been surprisingly quick.

Motion from the human vs humanoid match at RoboCup 2025.

Additional motion from the human vs humanoid match at RoboCup 2025.

What has been the overall response from the RoboCup group to the adjustments? I assume it relies on which league you’re in as to how a lot it impacts you.

Sure, it relies on which league you’re a part of. The reactions have been a mixture of pleasure and keenness. After all, everyone seems to be eager to see enhancements, and members have at all times been ready for adjustments to the principles and the league buildings. Nonetheless, there are nonetheless some open questions, and groups are ready to see how issues will evolve. Tomorrow, there might be a gathering with the President and several other trustees to deal with questions raised by the leagues.

The general path of RoboCup, guided by the 2050 objective has not modified. Every league has been extraordinarily useful and has contributed in numerous methods towards attaining that objective. RoboCup has additionally been immensely useful for robotics analysis extra broadly. Past being enjoyable, the challenges concerned in making robots play soccer are terribly complicated. The analysis and options developed inside RoboCup might be utilized to many different fields and functions.

About Alessandra Rossi

Alessandra is Assistant Professor on the College of Naples Federico II, Italy. Her PhD thesis was a part of the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Analysis ETN SECURE challenge on the College of Hertfordshire (UK). Her analysis pursuits embrace Human–(Multi) Robotic Interplay, social robotics, belief, XAI, multi-agent techniques and person profiling. She is Challenge Supervisor and co-supervisor of the MSCA PERSEO (955778), TRAIL (101072488) and SWEET (101168792). She can also be co-PI of the challenge ERROR (FA8655-23-1-7060), and a part of a number of nationwide and worldwide tasks. Alessandra can also be trustee member of RoboCup Federation, and member of the Humanoid League group known as Daring Hearts. She is Chair of the IEEE P3108 “Research Design”, and a member of the “Appendix” teams, she is Program Chair of IEEE RO-MAN 2027, she has been Robotic Problem Chair at ICSR 2025, Particular Session Chair of IEEE RO-MAN 2024, Publicity Chair of IEEE RO-MAN 2022 and 2023, Organising Chair of the twenty sixth RoboCup Worldwide Symposium 2023, and she or he is on this system committee of a number of worldwide conferences on human–robotic interplay and synthetic intelligence.

tags: RoboCup

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