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

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

RoboCup is a world scientific initiative with the aim of advancing the cutting-edge of clever robots, AI and automation. The annual RoboCup occasion, the place groups collect from throughout the globe to participate in competitions throughout various leagues, will this 12 months happen in Brazil, from 15-21 July. We spoke to Marco Simões, one of many Common 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

Might you give us a fast introduction to RoboCup 2025?

RoboCup shall 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 a fantastic success. This 12 months, we count on 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 a much bigger inhabitants than the earlier location (João Pessoa). For these causes, we estimate the attendance to be about 150,000 folks.

Concerning the variety of groups, registration has not closed but, so we’re not sure concerning the remaining numbers. Nonetheless, we count on to have about 300-400 groups and round 3000 opponents. Now we have been serving to with visas, so we hope to see greater participation from groups who couldn’t attend within the earlier two years as a consequence of visa points. We’re doing our greatest to make sure folks can come and have enjoyable at RoboCup!

That is additionally a fantastic 12 months for the RoboCup group: Now we have simply agreed on new international league companions, together with the Chinese language firms Unitree, Fourier, and Booster Robotics. They may 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 superb robots with superb abilities. So, I feel this shall be an incredible version of RoboCup this 12 months.

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

Sure, we’ve got seen a major improve in our RoboCup group. Within the final two years, Brazil has had the fourth-largest variety of groups and individuals at RoboCup in Bordeaux (2023) and Eindhoven (2024). This was a really huge improve as a result of ten years in the past, we weren’t even within the prime 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 growing 12 months by 12 months over the past ten years. This 12 months, we’ve got a large number of individuals due to the decrease journey prices. We predict to be within the prime three this 12 months when it comes to the best variety of individuals.

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

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

Sure, we’ve got 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 a minimum of one competitors in every state through the 12 months, and the most effective 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, lots 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.

Might you inform us about some extra of the highlights from the Brazilian RoboCup group in recent times?

Two or three years in the past, one of many Brazilian groups was the champion of RoboCup @Dwelling. Now we have seen an enormous improve within the variety of groups within the @Dwelling League. Within the nationwide competitors in Brazil, we’ve got greater than 12 groups collaborating. Again in 2014, we solely had one workforce collaborating. So we’ve had a fantastic improve—this League is among the highlights in Brazil.

Extra groups are additionally collaborating 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 prime 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 creating. So right now, we’ve got an elevated variety of publications and groups collaborating within the competitors with good outcomes, in order that’s crucial.

One other glorious contribution for this 12 months 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 could have a Flying Robotic Demo on the competitors this 12 months. 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 Normal Platform League, RoboCup 2024. Photograph: RoboCup/Bart van Overbeeke.

Will you be participating within the competitors this 12 months, or will you be focusing completely in your function as Common Chair?

This 12 months, my laboratory (ACSO/Uneb) has certified for the 3d Simulation League (soccer), the Flying Robotic Demo, and RoboCup @Dwelling, so we’re collaborating in three Leagues. We additionally supervise RoboCupJunior Groups within the Rescue Simulation League. This 12 months, my college students have had solely just a little supervision from me as a result of I’ve been very engaged with the group.

In our 3D simulation workforce, we’ve got numerous developments with deep reinforcement studying and a few new novel methods that enable our groups to achieve new abilities, and we’re combining the brand new abilities with our former multi-agent coordination technique. For that reason, I feel we could have a sturdy workforce within the competitors as a result of we aren’t solely engaged on abilities, we’re additionally engaged on multi-agency methods. When each features are joined, you’ll be able to have a extremely good soccer workforce that performs very nicely. Now we have workforce and count on to realize a higher place this 12 months. Within the latter years, we had been within the prime 4 or 5, however we hope to get into the highest three this 12 months.

In 3D, you not solely work on multi-agent features but additionally must work on abilities resembling strolling, kicking, and operating. Groups are actually attempting to develop new abilities. For instance, in recent times, our workforce has developed the dash operating motion, which was a results of deep reinforcement studying. It isn’t a pure operating movement however a operating motion that works in accordance with the League’s guidelines. It makes the robots go very quick from one level to a different, making the workforce very aggressive.

Most groups are studying abilities however don’t know how you can exploit them strategically within the sport. Our focus is just not solely on creating new abilities but additionally on utilizing them strategically. We’re presently engaged on a really revolutionary method.

This 12 months, the simulation league will run a problem utilizing a brand new simulator primarily based on MuJoCo. If the problem goes nicely, we might transfer to this new simulator within the following years, which might 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 anything you’d like to focus on about RoboCup2025?

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

We even have glorious help from native firms and the federal government. They are going to be displaying the group their newest developments. Within the Rescue League, for instance, we’ll have an illustration from the native pressure displaying what they do to help folks in catastrophe conditions.

This occasion can be a wonderful 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 got a wealthy historical past. There are a variety of historic websites to see and a few nice leisure choices, resembling seashores or events. Folks 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 Common Chair of RoboCup2025, and President of RoboCup Brazil.