Taking humanoid soccer to the following 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 varied leagues. The last word purpose of the soccer competitors is that, by 2050, a staff of absolutely autonomous humanoid robots will defeat the newest winner of the FIFA World Cup. To carry this imaginative and prescient nearer to actuality, the RoboCup Federation has introduced a number of modifications 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.

Might 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 points of the competitors!

I’m Alessandra Rossi from the College of Naples “Federico II”, the place I’m an Assistant Professor of Laptop 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 constantly lively staff within the UK. After a couple of years, I grew to become the staff chief of Daring Hearts.

In 2019, I grew to become 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 Govt Committee of the Humanoid League. In 2025, I used to be elected to the Board of Trustees for the primary time.

Through the years, I’ve steadily elevated my involvement and dedication to RoboCup. I’ve at all times sought to actively have interaction the RoboCup neighborhood, each throughout competitions and outdoors of competitors intervals. 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 an internet module that makes use of RoboCup as a benchmark for educating 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, revealed a paper on the present and future challenges in humanoid robotics. The paper was revealed in Autonomous Robots and is, to the perfect of my information, the primary to contain such a big and numerous group of contributors from throughout the RoboCup leagues. It discusses analysis inside RoboCup and the collaboration and synergies between the leagues.

Group picture of the humanoid league groups at RoboCup 2025.

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

The 2050 purpose of the RoboCup Federation, as many individuals are in all probability conscious, is for a staff of humanoid robots to play towards the winners of the FIFA World Cup. To attain this, it’s essential to push additional in that course. One of many key modifications, subsequently, can be a stronger concentrate on 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 precise format and to develop a brand new roadmap that aligns the complete league towards a shared goal. Whereas the 2050 purpose itself stays unchanged, the trail towards reaching it should should be adjusted.

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

Soccer is the complicated job and habits we’re learning, and it’s complicated 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 points 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 impression will this have on the humanoid league? Will there be a normal platform ingredient with groups utilizing a selected humanoid robotic?

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

Initially, there could also be the opportunity of a number of groups utilizing the identical platform. Nonetheless, we should remember that each {hardware} and software program can change into out of date in a short time, so we have to stay open to a number of choices. A robotic that’s state-of-the-art at the moment could not be so in a yr or two. Because of this, committing to a single customary platform might restrict future progress.

For that reason, the present thought is to stay open to a number of platforms. Many groups have already got wonderful custom-built robots, and additional enhancements to those platforms needs to be inspired. That stated, the precise construction has not but been determined, and these selections can be made in session with the groups. You will need to give the RoboCup neighborhood the time it must adapt and transfer ahead.

There have been some huge advances within the humanoid adult-size league up to now couple of years. What enhancements stood out to you at RoboCup2025 in Brazil?

One main change is that we have now added additional robots to every staff. Beforehand, groups performed with simply two robots per aspect, however matches at the moment are performed three versus three.

One other necessary enchancment is the lowered presence of people on the sphere. There isn’t a longer a handler assigned to every robotic. Prior 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 towards the successful humanoid staff. Naturally, the human staff received, nevertheless it was an pleasing and really attention-grabbing sport, 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 neighborhood to the modifications? I suppose it depends upon which league you’re in as to how a lot it impacts you.

Sure, it depends upon which league you might be 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 at all times been ready for modifications 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 a number of other trustees to handle questions raised by the leagues.

The general course of RoboCup, guided by the 2050 purpose has not modified. Every league has been extraordinarily worthwhile and has contributed in several methods towards reaching that purpose. RoboCup has additionally been immensely worthwhile for robotics analysis extra broadly. Past being enjoyable, the challenges concerned in making robots play soccer are terribly complicated. The analysis and options developed inside RoboCup might be utilized to many different fields and purposes.

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 mission 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 also be co-PI of the mission ERROR (FA8655-23-1-7060), and a part of a number of nationwide and worldwide initiatives. Alessandra can also 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 he or she is on this system committee of a number of worldwide conferences on human–robotic interplay and synthetic intelligence.

tags: RoboCup