Robots set new goals

Participating in the ‘Robot World Cup’ is helping University of Oxford researchers create technology that will fashion our future.

Teaching robots to play football may seem a somewhat frivolous occupation for university researchers, but developing the software and intelligent control systems necessary to allow robots to walk, kick, navigate their surroundings, and even operate as a team is pushing back the boundaries of current technology.

The next decade looks likely to see an increasing need for robotic assistance in both the home and hospitals as the population ages. Reliable robots that can walk up and down stairs, navigate around objects, and pick up items of unknown weight will prove invaluable.

Developing a ‘humanoid’ robot platform – a ‘robot with legs’ that can have a variety of devices attached to it – is the goal of Dr Stephen Cameron and his colleagues at the University of Oxford’s Department of Computer Science. They participate in the international RoboCup football (soccer) tournaments that challenge researchers to create a robot team that might one day beat a human team, providing a highly creative competitive setting that enthuses students, spectators, and academics alike.

Oxford researchers also participate in the RoboCup Rescue project. This seeks to develop robot teams that can be sent into a disaster zone – maybe after an earthquake, tsunami, or explosion – and operate in conditions that are too hazardous for humans, perhaps providing information about the locations of victims and the obstacles that lie between them and rescuers. Competitions both test the ability of real robots to cope with this scenario and also put virtual robots through their paces in a simulated disaster area such as a collapsed building. These simulations push the boundaries of robot intelligence without the constraints of what is currently physically possible, and the results will underlie tomorrow’s technology.

Tomorrow’s researchers are, moreover, already being enthused in their science studies by exposure to robots. Working in schools, the Oxford team uses small robots to explain basic concepts in physics, ICT, and control systems before challenging the young people to build a Lego robot capable of a ‘five-metre dash’.

Funded by: Loki Investments.