A mall designed just for robots has opened in China and its goal is to bring robotics into the mainstream of everyday life, including sports. The four-story shopping mall in the E-Town district of Beijing showcases more than 100 robots from more than 40 brands, as reported by Gizmodo.
World Humanoid Robotic Games
It will also be the site of the first-ever World Humanoid Robotic Games that run from Aug. 14 through Sunday, Aug. 17. While the competition is new, it already has gold-winning competitors in its ranks. Soccer playing robot “T1” and his two teammates finished atop their category at the RoboCup Humanoid League in Brazil.
A robot revolution
T1 and his fellow humanoid robots are part of China’s efforts to revolutionize the world of robotics, enabling them to be employed in everyday tasks, from household chores to cooking and work. Now, they hope people will kick back and watch them do the playing as well.
The games will feature 280 teams from 16 countries competing in events such as track and field, dancing, martial arts and soccer. For those who don’t love sports, human spectators can watch these robots, designed for industrial and medical purposes, conduct test runs. Government officials announced that the events will feature 26 sports.
“The Chinese government is actively promoting humanoid robotic development,” said Zhao Mingguo, the scientist behind T1. “To advance technology, the government is actively organizing competitive events, and this sports games is one such experience.”
A real game-changer but no Ronaldo
While it may just be fun and games for some, industry analysts predict the advancement of humanoid robots is a game changer for the world, which will lead to robots being used in homes, factories or entertainment.
Those hoping to see Cristiano Ronaldo in robot form will be disappointed. Scientists note the technology isn’t quite there yet. They said these robots would reportedly have trouble facing even novice human competition.
“Playing football is a testing and training ground for… helping us refine our capabilities,” Zhao told Reuters.
Practice makes perfect
Just like humans, practice makes robots better. While the competition may be stiff for Zhao’s team, it doesn’t want its robot to be. They’re currently developing software for Brazil to improve their robo-athletes’ positioning skills.
A benchmark for success
This week’s competition will serve as a benchmark for the advancement of robotics globally. T1’s team hopes it can aid in the development of a robot more adept at human-like movements and perfect its performance on inclines as well as its ability to traverse different terrain.
The soccer match is the first ever five-on-five robot competition in the sport’s history with preliminaries beginning Wednesday, as reported by the Global Times.
After the competition, the visitors will be entertained by robot chefs and humanoid replicas of historical figures like Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein. For the dog lovers, there are robot hounds to enjoy.
The robots featured at the mall reportedly cost anywhere from hundreds of dollars to tens of thousands of dollars.
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Author: Chris Francis
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