Robot footballers wow crowd in Germany
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Forget Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney or Lionel Messi. With less than 100 days to the World Cup, it was four pint-sized robots that wowed crowds in Germany Tuesday with their footballing skills.
The four robots, about 60 centimetres (23 inches) high, named Rajesh, Penny, Sheldon and Leonard, part of the team that won the Robot Football World Cup in Austria 2009, played out an exhibition match at the world's biggest high-tech fair being held in Hannover.
The white robots use colour and line recognition to "see" the ball (orange), pitch (green) and goals (yellow and blue), explained Wiebke Sauerland from the B-Human team, part of the University of Bremen, which developed them.
By "seeing" the white lines on the pitch, the robots can tell where they are and adjust their movements towards the ball accordingly. When they sense they are near the ball, they kick out towards the goal.
"You programme them and then they do what they have been told to do. Normally," said Sauerland from the sidelines at the CeBIT fair, echoing many a football manager's agony.
The team from Bremen is due to compete in the 2010 World Cup for robots, held in Singapore on June 19, right in the middle of the "real" tournament in South Africa.
"We are confident, but there is a team from the United States that is really good," she said. The last competition drew 23 teams from around the world.
And it's not just for fun, she added. "The line-recognition technology is being used for wheelchairs so they know where they are in case a disabled person has difficulties," she said.
Want one of these for your next party?
"It's yours for 10,000 euros (13,500 dollars)," she said.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments