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Robocup 2000 (www.robocup2000.org) is the fourth such competition and the largest to date. The elimination rounds which have been taking place since Monday will continue until Friday. Then the competition will peak with the grand final at the weekend.
Six different leagues are taking part in the Robot World Championships and for the first time in the history of Robocup, two legged human-like robots will run the 100cm dash in the Biped League.
In F180, teams of autonomous small size robots (15cm in diameter) play soccer on a field the size of a pingpong table. In F2000 teams of middle sized robots play soccer on a nine metre by six metre field.
The Sony Four Legged Robot League is a soccer game for autonomous four-legged robots, while the simulator league features simulation of soccer games using artificial intelligence programmes over the Internet. Each team consists of 11 autonomous software players.
Robocup Junior is a simplified version of Robocup designed for second level children which features junior soccer and robot dance routines.
Both Mattel and Hasbro are bringing out robotic babies -- and Hasbro's creation, aimed for the Christmas market, mimics natural language development.
However, it will be a long time before robots that look like people will be available commercially, said Richard Greenane, a research assistant with the computer, vision and robotics lab in Trinity College. People can expect robots like a vacuum cleaner or robots on wheels that can help the elderly to be introduced first.
"But they will not look like what we think they will look like," he said.
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