Their anxious builders look on, unable to help because their offspring are completely autonomous. This is robosoccer, the latest experiment in robotics, and one that is growing in popularity on college campuses around the world. A number of local and international tournaments have sprung up so that different teams may compete. The largest is the annual RoboCup tournament. This year's competition, to be held in August in Seattle, Wash., drew over 140 entries and registration is still open.
Participants range from professional researchers to undergraduates.
Manuela Veloso, an associate professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University, in Pittsburgh, is this year's organizing chair for the competition. In Melbourne over 200 children participated, with about as many expected in Seattle. Certainly the cheering spectators that crowd around most RoboCup matches display more passion than is usually witnessed at robotics conferences. Meanwhile, researchers take to robosoccer because of the new angle of attack it provides on a broad range of topics. Vision systems are required to see the field, ball, and players.