Herts students test the boundaries of artificial intelligence at robot football competition

Held in Salvador, Brazil, RoboCup 2025 brought together 250 teams from 37 countries, challenging the boundaries of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics.

Tackling, shooting, passing and ball possession skills were put to the test as Herts’ pint-sized mechanical sportsmen played strategically and fully autonomously - without any external human control – on a miniature AstroTurf pitch.

Demonstrating the innovative technology puts Herts at the forefront of RoboCup’s broader mission to advance scientific research in developing robots that can think, move, and interact with people naturally and socially acceptable way.

Researchers at the University are also working towards another long-term vision: to help create a team of humanoids capable of defeating the human FIFA World Cup champions by 2050.

Daniel Polani, Professor of Artificial Intelligence and a member of the Board of Trustees for the RoboCup Federation, said: “RoboCup is one of the world’s most visionary robotics competitions, and the University of Hertfordshire is proud to have been part of it for 23 years.

“What began as the ambitious dream of humanoid robots beating human football champions by 2050 is now a real possibility, thanks to global innovation and collaboration.

“This year’s tournament saw a shift towards hardware dominance, and we're responding. Our team is developing a custom humanoid robot that will be ready within 18 months.

“In the meantime, we aim to upgrade or acquire interim hardware to stay competitive for future events”.

Working as a team, Herts robots used their coloured breastplates to communicate with each other on the pitch, while cameras installed in their heads allowed them to “see” their environment.

In addition to football, RoboCup includes competitions where robots are tested in complex scenarios such as search-and-rescue operations and household assistance tasks.

Since its inception in 1997, RoboCup has served as a vital testbed for leading-edge advancements in AI and autonomous systems.

The University of Hertfordshire first entered RoboCup in 2002, recognising early on that autonomous robotics was a critical area for future innovation, and remains the longest continuously active RoboCup team in the UK.

Herts reached the quarter finals of the 2017 RoboCup World Championship in Japan, coming second in the world in 2009 in Austria, and again in 2014 in Brazil.

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