Each team in the match included five robotic players, consisting of two forwards, two defenders, and a goalkeeper. This was the first time a five-a-side match was held, whereas previous competitions only featured three-a-side games, according to the Chinese newspaper ‘Global Times.’ Despite some robots falling during collisions, they managed to get up quickly and continue playing, impressing the audience.
The match lasted 40 minutes, divided into two halves of 15 minutes each, with a 10-minute break in between. The crowd cheered enthusiastically with each goal scored, creating a lively competitive atmosphere.
The match followed a rulebook of approximately 70 pages, which is quite similar to human football laws but includes special modifications for robots, like allowing more physical contact and giving robots 10 seconds after each free kick to execute play, providing enough time for AI to make decisions.
The World Human Robot Games officially opened on Thursday in Beijing and will continue for three days, with more than 500 robots representing 280 teams from 16 countries. The competitions include 538 events across 26 sports, such as football, athletics, and gymnastics.
This event follows the success of the first AI robot football match in China on June 27, which featured three-a-side teams, reflecting the rapid development in this field.
