Robot dogs playing soccer

by oboreruhito, concerning the matter of Puppies, Technological Advances

"ATLANTA (AP) — Hugging the sideline, the robot dog waddled down the field and hit a ball with its nose. The ball bounced off the goal post.

It was one of the University of Texas’ last chances to get back in the game, which it eventually lost 2-0 to the reigning European champs - the Microsoft Hellhounds from Dortmund University in Germany.

The robot dogs were acting fully autonomously using artificial intelligence instead of remote control operation from a human, as part of the Robocup U.S. Open Competition at Georgia Tech in Atlanta. The competition was founded to foster and promote research in artificial inteligence and robotics."

From Sportsdot:
"After the match, the German robot dogs were programmed to flex their metal biceps. With the time to devote to development and the financial backing of a company like Microsoft, the German entries are much more polished than their American counterparts at the moment."

The top photo is of the UT robodogs (red) vs. Georgia Tech. The bottom photo is a Hellhounds player - the goalkeeper, I believe - wearing the 2003 championship medal. Be sure to watch some highlight reels.