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

A core goal of RoboCup is to advertise and advance robotics and AI analysis by way of the challenges supplied by its numerous leagues. The last word aim of the soccer competitors is that, by 2050, a staff of totally autonomous humanoid robots will defeat the newest 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 be taught extra.

May 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 facets of the competitors!

I’m Alessandra Rossi from the College of Naples “Federico II”, the place I’m an Assistant Professor of Pc Science. I started working with and collaborating in RoboCup in 2016, once 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 staff Daring Hearts, the longest repeatedly energetic staff within the UK. After a couple of years, I turned the staff 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 Government 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 all the time sought to actively have interaction the RoboCup group, each throughout competitions and out of doors of competitors durations. I additionally work to encourage engagement between the most important 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 instructing robotics to undergraduate college students. The module remains to be working. I initially served because the module chief, and this function has since been taken over by our Daring Hearts teammate, Bente Riegler.

Final yr, Maike Paetzel-Prüsmann, Merel Keijsers, and I (as lead authors), in collaboration with a number of trustees and plenty of members from totally different leagues, printed a paper on the present and future challenges in humanoid robotics. The paper was printed in Autonomous Robots and is, to the most effective of my information, 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 photograph of the humanoid league groups at RoboCup 2025.

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

The 2050 aim of the RoboCup Federation, as many individuals are most likely conscious, is for a staff 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 course. One of many key adjustments, due to this fact, can be a stronger deal with humanoid robots.

One other main change would be the merger of the Normal 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 aim itself stays unchanged, the trail towards attaining it can should be adjusted.

It’s essential to proceed fostering the engagement of groups within the leagues that can be affected by these adjustments. On the identical time, we should acknowledge that know-how is advancing quickly. Over the previous yr, particularly, we have now seen vital progress in each {hardware} platforms and enormous language fashions. As RoboCup serves as a world benchmark for robotics analysis, we should always repeatedly attempt to advance know-how and analysis—whereas nonetheless having enjoyable.

Soccer is the advanced process and habits we’re learning, and it’s advanced 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 staff members, interactions with the coach, and communication with the referee. All of those facets will in the end should be integrated into the humanoid league.

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

I imagine we are going to see a mixture of totally different robots. With the three corporations presently sponsoring RoboCup, we have now already seen that their robots can obtain a variety of behaviors, and there have been vital enhancements in robotic management. A few of these robots can stroll in a short time—nearly to the purpose of working.

Initially, there could also be the potential for a number of groups utilizing the identical platform. Nonetheless, we should remember the fact that each {hardware} and software program can develop into out of date in a short time, so we have to stay open to a number of choices. A robotic that’s cutting-edge at the moment could now not be so in a yr or two. Consequently, committing to a single customary 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 glorious custom-built robots, and additional enhancements to those platforms ought to be inspired. That mentioned, the precise construction has not but been determined, and these selections can 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 have now added further robots to every staff. 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 diminished presence of people on the sphere. There isn’t a longer a handler assigned to every robotic. Up to now, a staff member needed to stroll behind the robots in case they fell and risked being broken.

I’ve truly performed in a match in opposition to the profitable humanoid staff. Naturally, the human staff received, however it was an fulfilling and really fascinating recreation, because the robots have 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 final response from the RoboCup group to the adjustments? I assume it will depend on which league you’re in as to how a lot it impacts you.

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

The general course of RoboCup, guided by the 2050 aim has not modified. Every league has been extraordinarily beneficial and has contributed in numerous methods towards attaining that aim. RoboCup has additionally been immensely beneficial for robotics analysis extra broadly. Past being enjoyable, the challenges concerned in making robots play soccer are terribly advanced. 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 Undertaking Supervisor and co-supervisor of the MSCA PERSEO (955778), TRAIL (101072488) and SWEET (101168792). She can be co-PI of the challenge ERROR (FA8655-23-1-7060), and a part of a number of nationwide and worldwide tasks. Alessandra can be trustee member of RoboCup Federation, and member of the Humanoid League staff known as Daring Hearts. She is Chair of the IEEE P3108 “Examine 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