Making ready for kick-off at RoboCup2025: an interview with Normal Chair Marco Simões

The Salvador Conference Heart, the place RoboCup 2025 will happen.

RoboCup is a global scientific initiative with the aim of advancing the state-of-the-art of clever robots, AI and automation. The annual RoboCup occasion, the place groups collect from throughout the globe to participate in competitions throughout a variety of leagues, will this yr happen in Brazil, from 15-21 July. We spoke to Marco Simões, one of many Normal Chairs of RoboCup 2025 and President of RoboCup Brazil, to search out out what plans they’ve for the occasion, some new initiatives, and the way RoboCup has grown in Brazil over the previous ten years.

Marco Simões

May you give us a fast introduction to RoboCup 2025?

RoboCup will probably be held in Salvador, Brazil. When RoboCup was held in Brazil 11 years in the past, in 2014, we had a complete of 100,000 guests, in order that was an ideal success. This yr, we anticipate much more, round 150,000, throughout all of the occasions. These days, AI and robotics are attracting extra consideration. We’re additionally in a city, Salvador, with an even bigger inhabitants than the earlier location (João Pessoa). For these causes, we estimate the attendance to be about 150,000 individuals.

Concerning the variety of groups, registration has not closed but, so we’re uncertain concerning the ultimate numbers. Nevertheless, we anticipate to have about 300-400 groups and round 3000 rivals. We now have been serving to with visas, so we hope to see larger participation from groups who couldn’t attend within the earlier two years as a result of visa points. We’re doing our greatest to make sure individuals can come and have enjoyable at RoboCup!

That is additionally an ideal yr for the RoboCup group: We now have simply agreed on new world league companions, together with the Chinese language firms Unitree, Fourier, and Booster Robotics. They’ll deliver their humanoids and four-legged robots to RoboCup. These won’t solely be flaunted to the general public but additionally utilized by some groups. They’re wonderful robots with superb expertise. So, I feel this will probably be a tremendous version of RoboCup this yr.

Did the 2014 occasion in Brazil encourage extra groups to take part in RoboCup?

Sure, we’ve seen a major enhance in our RoboCup group. Within the final two years, Brazil has had the fourth-largest variety of groups and members at RoboCup in Bordeaux (2023) and Eindhoven (2024). This was a really huge enhance as a result of ten years in the past, we weren’t even within the high eight or 9.

We’ve made a major effort with RoboCupJunior within the final ten years. Most individuals who’ve taken half in RoboCupJunior have carried on and joined the RoboCup Main League. So, the variety of groups in Brazil has been rising yr by yr over the past ten years. This yr, we’ve a large number of members due to the decrease journey prices. We expect to be within the high three this yr when it comes to the best variety of members.

Photograph of members at RoboCup 2024, which befell in Eindhoven. Photograph credit score: RoboCup/Bart van Overbeeke

It’s spectacular that so many RoboCupJunior members go on to affix a Main League group.

Sure, we’ve an initiative right here in Brazil known as the Brazilian Robotics Olympiad. On this occasion, we selected two Junior Leagues – OnStage and the Rescue Line League – and we organized a contest primarily based on these two Leagues. We run it in regional competitions throughout Brazil – so 27 states. We manage at the least one competitors in every state through the yr, and the very best groups from every state come to the nationwide competitors along with the Main Leagues. We manage the Brazilian Olympiad to get RoboCupJunior to extra college students. That is how we’ve managed to extend participation in RoboCupJunior. Then, when college students go to college, a lot of them proceed to take part, however within the Main Leagues. In order that’s a really profitable technique we’ve utilized in Brazil within the final 10 years.

May you inform us about some extra of the highlights from the Brazilian RoboCup group lately?

Two or three years in the past, one of many Brazilian groups was the champion of RoboCup @Dwelling. We now have seen an enormous enhance within the variety of groups within the @Dwelling League. Within the nationwide competitors in Brazil, we’ve greater than 12 groups taking part. Again in 2014, we solely had one group taking part. So we’ve had an ideal enhance—this League is likely one of the highlights in Brazil.

Extra groups are additionally taking part within the Small Measurement League (a part of the soccer League). Two years in the past, one of many Brazilian groups was the champion of the division B of the Small Measurement League. So, over the past 5 years, we’ve seen some Brazilian groups within the high three positions in Main Leagues within the RoboCup world competitors. It is a results of the rise within the variety of groups and the standard of what the groups are growing. So at the moment, we’ve an elevated variety of publications and groups taking part within the competitors with good outcomes, in order that’s essential.

One other wonderful contribution for this yr is a league we created 5 years in the past – a flying robotic league, the place autonomous drones carry out some missions and duties. We’ve proposed this League as a demo for RoboCup2025, and we may have a Flying Robotic Demo on the competitors this yr. This would be the first time we’ll have autonomous drones on the RoboCup competitors, and the Brazilian group proposed it.

RoboCup @Dwelling with Toyota HSR robots within the Home Customary Platform League, RoboCup 2024. Photograph: RoboCup/Bart van Overbeeke.

Will you be collaborating within the competitors this yr, or will you be focusing totally in your position as Normal Chair?

This yr, my laboratory (ACSO/Uneb) has certified for the 3d Simulation League (soccer), the Flying Robotic Demo, and RoboCup @Dwelling, so we’re taking part in three Leagues. We additionally supervise RoboCupJunior Groups within the Rescue Simulation League. This yr, my college students have had solely a bit of supervision from me as a result of I’ve been very engaged with the group.

In our 3D simulation group, we’ve plenty of developments with deep reinforcement studying and a few new novel methods that enable our groups to realize new expertise, and we’re combining the brand new expertise with our former multi-agent coordination technique. For that reason, I feel we may have a sturdy group within the competitors as a result of we aren’t solely engaged on expertise, we’re additionally engaged on multi-agency methods. When each elements are joined, you’ll be able to have a very good soccer group that performs very properly. We now have an excellent group and anticipate to realize a better place this yr. Within the latter years, we have been within the high 4 or 5, however we hope to get into the highest three this yr.

In 3D, you not solely work on multi-agent elements but additionally must work on expertise akin to strolling, kicking, and operating. Groups at the moment are attempting to develop new expertise. For instance, lately, our group has developed the dash operating motion, which was a results of deep reinforcement studying. It’s not a pure operating movement however a operating motion that works in response to the League’s guidelines. It makes the robots go very quick from one level to a different, making the group very aggressive.

Most groups are studying expertise however don’t know the right way to exploit them strategically within the sport. Our focus just isn’t solely on creating new expertise but additionally on utilizing them strategically. We’re presently engaged on a really progressive method.

This yr, the simulation league will run a problem utilizing a brand new simulator primarily based on MuJoCo. If the problem goes properly, we could transfer to this new simulator within the following years, which may extra realistically simulate actual humanoid robots.

Motion from the semi-finals of RoboCup Soccer Humanoid League at RoboCup 2024. Photograph: RoboCup/Bart van Overbeeke.

Lastly, is there the rest you’d like to focus on about RoboCup2025?

We’re engaged on partnerships with native firms. For instance, we’ve sponsorship from Petrobras, one of many largest oil firms on this planet. They’ll talk about how they’re utilizing robotics and AI of their trade. They have been additionally one of many first sponsors of the Flying Robots League. It’s necessary to have these hyperlinks between trade and the RoboCup group.

We even have wonderful assist from native firms and the federal government. They are going to be exhibiting the group their newest developments. Within the Rescue League, for instance, we’ll have an illustration from the native power exhibiting what they do to assist individuals in catastrophe conditions.

This occasion can also be a superb alternative for RoboCuppers, particularly those that have by no means been to Brazil, to spend some days after the occasion in Salvador, visiting some vacationer spots. Salvador was the primary Brazilian capital, so we’ve a wealthy historical past. There are a whole lot of historic websites to see and a few nice leisure choices, akin to seashores or events. Individuals can have enjoyable and benefit from the nation!

About Marco

Marco Simões is an Affiliate Professor at Bahia State College, Salvador, Brazil. He’s the Normal Chair of RoboCup2025, and President of RoboCup Brazil.