Make way Ronaldo, here come the robots

After Euro 2008, now Austria is preparing to host RoboCup, where 500 robots take to the football field hoping to prove their mettle.

Held annually since 1997, the RoboCup, one of the world's largest demonstrations of robotics, will take place in the southern city of Graz in July 2009, organiser Gerald Steinbauer said.

"Robot-football is more than just entertainment. It is the ideal scenario for developing moving robots in a mobile environment," said Steinbauer, a robotics specialist at Graz Technical University.

The 500 robots will be joined by 2,500 human players, with teams competing in four championships, depending on the size of robot.

A fifth, completely virtual, competition runs alongside the four championships, with two teams of 11 players pitted against each other in a simulator.

A more serious addition to the programme will test the efficiency of robots as potential life-savers in an earthquake scenario, Steinbauer added.

On the sidelines of the tournament, international experts will give public lectures on the latest developments in robotics and artificial intelligence.

继2008年“欧洲杯”之后，目前奥地利又在筹办明年的“机器人世界杯”（RoboCup），届时将有500个机器人齐聚绿茵场一展球技。

据组织者格劳德•斯坦鲍尔介绍，明年的机器人世界杯赛将于7月份在奥地利南部城市格拉茨举行。一年一度的“机器人世界杯”从1997年起开始举办，是世界上规模最大的机器人技术展示活动之一。

格拉茨科技大学的机器人技术专家斯坦鲍尔说：“机器人足球不仅是一种娱乐，它是在动态环境中研发可移动机器人的最理想场景。”

届时，500个机器人将配备2500名真人球员分组竞技，依机器人体积的大小，将分为四组角逐冠军。

而同时进行的第五组比赛则是完全虚拟的，两支各有11名球员的球队将在一个模拟器中竞技。

斯坦鲍尔说，此外，比赛中还将增加一个更为重要的环节，用以检测机器人在地震环境中的救援效率。

除正式比赛外，国际专家还将就机器人及人工智能技术的最新发展做系列讲座。

Vocabulary:

pit against: 使竞争