---
title: "Watch These Adorable Lil Robots Try to Play Soccer"
description: "Researchers from Google's DeepMind AI lab did us a solid by showcasing the cutesy power of tyke-sized robots trying to actually play soccer."
date: "2023-04-29"
modified: "2023-04-29"
authors:
  - name: "Frank Landymore"
    job_title: "Contributing Writer"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/adorable-lil-robots-play-soccer"
categories:
  - "Robotics"
  - "Robots and Machines"
tags:
  - "ai"
  - "humanoid robot"
  - "the digest"
---

# Watch These Adorable Lil Robots Try to Play Soccer

![Researchers from Google's DeepMind AI lab did us a solid by showcasing the cutesy power of tyke-sized robots trying to actually play soccer.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/adorable-lil-robots-play-soccer.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Haarnoja et al.\</em\>*

## Bot v. Bot

A team of researchers from Google's [DeepMind AI lab](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/google-deepmind-ceo-self-aware-ai>) have programmed a pair of little humanoid robots to play a classic match of one-versus-one soccer — and the results are absolutely adorable.

A [video](<https://youtu.be/chMwFy6kXhs>) of these robotic little tykes shows them wobbling around with impressive, almost human-like agility, though the movements are more akin to an athletic toddler than a professional soccer player.

It's all very endearing, but don't let the cuteness of it overshadow the impressive skill on display. The robots are able to walk, turn, and run relatively efficiently, and transition between these movements with impressive fluidity.

Plus, they can also kick and shoot the ball at a goal, too, thanks to cutting-edge machine learning tech. But dribbling remains far beyond their capabilities. After all, little Lionel Messis they are not.

https://twitter.com/_akhaliq/status/1651401573711347713

## The Training Ground

Now, you may be eager to point out that the miniature bipeds aren't quite on the level of, say, [Boston Dynamics' uncannily capable humanoids](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/boston-dynamics-robot-toss-tools-construction-worker>), and you'd be right.

But the point of this project, dubbed [OP3 Soccer](<https://sites.google.com/view/op3-soccer/>), is to demonstrate the effectiveness of a form of machine learning called "deep reinforcement learning" in low-cost hardware.

As such, the researchers used an affordable and respectably capable open-source robot platform, rather than designing a robot from scratch.

And clearly, their work is paying off. Not only are the artificial ankle biters agile, they also exhibit a strategic understanding of the game, the researchers said. They can mark the other player with the ball, defend their own goal, block shots, and most importantly, aim for the back of the opponent's net.

According to the researcher's [not-yet-peer-reviewed paper](<https://arxiv.org/abs/2304.13653>), the robots were trained extensively through simulations, and used simple penalties and rewards to encourage more optimal behavior.

It was through the follow-up real-world training, though, that they really began to shine. The robust bots gradually learned to be even more efficient than in the simulations, walking 156 percent faster and taking 63 percent less time to stand up, the researchers said.

So beware, soccer superstars: the robots are coming after your jobs — just not anytime soon.

**More on robots:** *[$75,000 FDNY Robodog Goes to Work, Falls Over Almost Immediately](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/fdny-robodog-falls-over>)*

## Author
At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/f-w-l.bsky.social>)