The land gradually loses tags channelling players

The footballers did that to keep well, this leaves only forty-four years before taking a déculottée by eleven robots. In any case, this is what dream of dozens of researchers gathered today in Bremen, where begins the 2006 edition of the annual Robocup World Cup. Since a few days, teams from around the world roboticiens, the Iran to the United States, arrived in this German city for the last overheating of their troops. As every year, best academics come and confront with the greatest seriousness their latest algorithms or their Cree last mechatronic systems. "It is an excellent testbed for measuring the progress of the roboticiens." "It is the only competition in the world, the rules are clear and cheating impossible," said Vincent Hugel, faithful participating in the event since 1998 for the University of Versailles.

Ubbo Visser, organiser of the competition and a doctor at the University of Bremen, football offers the best challenge to robotics: "It is a very dynamic situation where systems must respond to the thousandth of a second." The robots also work in real time, must be fully autonomous knowing cooperate with their partners. In addition, they are opposed to competitors who are trying to destroy their strategy.

No wonder therefore that research motivated by the Robocup find applications. Robin Murphy, University of South Florida, participating in the test, so experienced his robot in search of the rubble of the 11 September: he found seven bodies. The Germans work them, on underwater inspection applications.

But the founders of the competition brandish before their initial objective: object in 2050 a team of robots to human World Cup winners. To Ubbo Visser, important technological developments in the last ten years and the influx of funding on the subject make it playable adventure. Still conscious of the utopia, researchers argue by steps by asking more rules in more realistic. The land gradually loses tags channelling players. The four plots the corners of the ground and panels setting keys have disappeared. The ball has lost its bright colours to dress the austere black and white grid. The two goals are more distinguished by a different color.

Eleven different leagues have also been created for specialized research objectives. The category small and medium stencil objects robots to very bright wheels with problems of systems engineering. The League of the four-legged dogs focuses on the concept of autonomy and tactic requiring complex software developments. Teams actually use commercial robots like the Aïbo produced by Sony, which they reprogramme the intelligence.

These leagues approaching the most classical game conditions. Football is even becoming a collective sport! This did not surprise the tifosi, but among the robots found barely collective game. So far, robots athletes of researchers primarily preferred a simple strategy: grasp the ball and win the goal. In the past editions, finalists still began some sort of cooperation. "It is not really passes, but their Wi - Fi connections, the players know where their partners and prioritize this direction to throw the ball", explained Vincent Hugel.

The latest generation of robots-players should incorporate additional refinements as find nearest partner of the goal to send the ball. The smaller robots have even developed a new weapon: in addition to the front passes, they know lober their opponents with Bell strikes.

20,000 euros for a team

The League of robots-rescuers tests more comprehensive qualities, since candidates must provide assistance to a "wounded" player I.e. find, move by avoiding obstacles... They therefore include mapping tools, infrared sensors, microphones, or even electronic truffles.

But the most ambitious category foreshadows the robots of 2050: of the appearance almost similar to the Beckham and other humanoid Barthez, still less inflated head. They are two-legged, have the same sensors that we and have even arms. No risk for them to make a hand because the ball has not been the third dimension. Their performance is slow and hardworking movements, researchers involved in this category aimed primarily at improving the mechanical qualities. "The difficulty of these robots, it is their balance and their mass. "A year has seen a competitor more than 2 metres so heavy that one of its engines was roasted on the spot," recalls in laughing Ubbo Visser. Crews build now on smaller models, child size, but involving any of even more than 20 engines. The on-board sensors are the time limited to a camera. The League is played at this time by two against two, finally the option to play this year of the three teams was cancelled.

Because these new formats of game are mainly a financial problem for the small teams. Victorious in 1999, the laboratory Robotics of Versailles has left the quarter-finals in 2001, and then gradually lost his footing, to cancel his coming this year. "We must now of large support that we are not in France." The best teams spend a dozen of people throughout the year. "A 2.000 euros the robot, the team of 11 players is also expensive", said Vincent Hugel. It takes up to 20,000 euros to mount the lesser team. The Germany remains in Europe the more mobilized country on the subject, under a federal program that funds 13 laboratories. For Vincent Hugel, it is also the lack of French know-how in technology that is at issue.

The French particularly competitive in more fundamental cognitive science. One team will therefore represent the France, that of Peter Dominey du CNRS Lyon. Will it not align not players in a game, but a prototype in a new event of the Robocup has nothing to do with football. The organizers wanted to this year give laboratories to the systems home automation, first commercial outlet of robots as shown by the success of intelligent vacuum cleaners or the Aïbo dog. Contenders must align in Bremen a robot able to move in a room and follow the orders of a human for five minutes or manipulate an object such as a can in a fridge.

This year, the German team had little hopes of winning the Cup as the previous two years. "In 2005, we had won with the chance to fire on goal after a draw at 2-2 against an Australian team." "It will be more difficult this year, because we broadcast our winning computer codes and everyone took" smiles researcher of Bremen.