RoboCup is the 1997 competition that uses soccer-playing robots to advance artificial intelligence and robotics research.
The first RoboCup was held in Nagoya, Japan, in 1997. Its organizers chose robot soccer because the game requires perception, planning, teamwork, real-time decision-making, and physical control. These challenges provide a shared test environment for researchers from different countries and institutions.
RoboCup includes multiple leagues, including simulation, wheeled robots, humanoid robots, and rescue robots. The rules and robot capabilities have changed over time as researchers have pursued the long-term goal of defeating a human soccer world champion with fully autonomous robots.
RoboCup is not simply a sports tournament for remotely controlled machines. Teams generally build and program robots to make decisions themselves, although the exact autonomy requirements vary by league. The competition is also distinct from the DARPA Grand Challenge, which focused on autonomous vehicles, and the FIRST Robotics Competition, which emphasizes student-built machines.