Dutch teams compete in first humanoid robot games in China

荷媒：荷兰队在中国首次参加人形机器人比赛

作者：ANP和NL时报报道         来源：nltimes.nl

TU Eindhoven's robotic football team, Tech United, practicing before the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing. - Credit: Tech United Eindhoven / Facebook - License: All Rights Reserved

埃因霍温理工大学的机器人足球队，科技联队，在北京举行的世界人形机器人运动会之前进行训练。 ——来源: 埃因霍温科技联合公司 脸谱网

Student teams from TU Eindhoven and the University of Amsterdam (UvA) are participating in the first humanoid robot games in China this weekend. The universities are part of a total of 280 teams from 16 countries competing at the event, where robots resembling the human body take part in activities such as football, boxing, and tasks like cleaning up and sorting medicine. The event will continue for three days.

本周末，来自埃因霍温工业大学和阿姆斯特丹大学的学生团队将参加中国首届人形机器人比赛。来自16个国家的280支队伍参加了这次比赛，这些大学是其中的一部分，在比赛中，类似人体的机器人参加了足球、拳击以及清理和分类药物等活动。该活动将持续三天。

The competitions were created with the idea that robots should be able to beat humans by 2050. “But it is not about the result. We do this to bring progress in technology, and that is the target. We want to develop knowledge with the goal of putting it to good use,” said René van de Molengraft, head of TU Eindhoven’s robotics department.

这些比赛的理念是，到2050年，机器人应该能够击败人类。“但这与结果无关。我们这样做是为了推动技术进步，这是我们的目标。埃因霍温工业大学机器人部门负责人ren van de Molengraft表示：“我们希望开发知识，并将其用于更好的用途。”

Human-like robots, for example, could assist the elderly at home by climbing stairs or fetching items from cupboards. “If a robot can play football, you can imagine other useful applications as well.”

例如，类人机器人可以帮助家里的老人爬楼梯或从橱柜里取东西。“如果机器人能踢足球，你可以想象它还有其他有用的应用。”

The teams already began their participation in a large football tournament for humanoid robots in the last few days. The TU Eindhoven team, called Tech United, was eliminated in the group stage in its first appearance in the competition, while the UvA team, called the Dutch Nao Team, reached the quarterfinals. “We are playing seven matches against teams from China, Germany, Australia, and Singapore. The German team is very good, but we will do our best,” said team leader Harold Ruiter. The Dutch Nao Team hopes to reach the final on August 17.

在过去的几天里，这些球队已经开始参加大型人形机器人足球锦标赛。埃因霍温理工大学的Tech United队在首次参加该赛事的小组赛阶段就被淘汰，而阿姆斯特丹大学的荷兰Nao队则进入了四分之一决赛。“我们将与来自中国、德国、澳大利亚和新加坡的球队进行七场比赛。德国队非常优秀，但我们会尽我们最大的努力。”荷兰Nao队希望进入8月17日的决赛。

The Chinese organization provided the teams in the quarter finals with new robots that can be altered to the student's wishes with the software. "The robots are more technically advanced than we are used to," Ruiter said to AD. "All kinds of roads are opening up for us. We have to work for several nights to get everything working correctly, but thus far, it has worked out well for us."

这家中国机构为四分之一决赛的参赛队伍提供了新的机器人，这些机器人可以根据学生的意愿通过软件进行修改。Ruiter对AD说：“这些机器人在技术上比我们习惯的要先进得多。”“各种各样的道路都在为我们敞开。我们必须工作几个晚上才能让一切正常工作，但到目前为止，我们工作得很好。”

The Chinese organization provided the quarterfinal teams with new robots whose software the students could customize. “The robots are more technically advanced than we are used to,” Ruiter told AD. “All kinds of possibilities are opening up for us. We have to work for several nights to get everything functioning properly, but so far it has gone well.”

这家中国机构为四分之一决赛的队伍提供了新的机器人，学生们可以定制机器人的软件。Ruiter告诉AD：“这些机器人在技术上比我们习惯的更先进。”“各种各样的可能性都在向我们敞开。我们必须工作几个晚上才能让一切正常运转，但到目前为止一切都很顺利。”

The quarterfinals will be played in the Olympic Stadium, which usually hosts skating events. “It is close to sold out,” Ruiter said. “We have competed in tournaments in the past, but on this scale... we have never experienced anything like it.”

四分之一决赛将在通常举办滑冰比赛的奥林匹克体育场进行。Ruiter说：“几乎卖光了。”“我们过去参加过锦标赛，但在这种规模上……我们从未经历过这样的事情。”

The new competition was a step up for Tech United. The Eindhoven team previously competed in a league for wheeled football robots, where they were world champions for several years. “We played great in the first game, but we lost. We drew the second game. We didn’t get to play the third match due to hardware problems. It was a unique experience to lose again,” Van de Molengraft said.

新的竞争对Tech United来说是一个进步。埃因霍温团队之前参加过轮式足球机器人联赛，并连续几年获得世界冠军。“我们在第一场比赛中表现出色，但我们输了。第二场我们打平了。由于硬件问题，我们没能打第三场比赛。“再次输球是一次独特的经历，”范德莫伦格拉夫说。

The early exit was expected; the team mainly came to gain experience. “We wanted to see where we stand. At next year’s World Cup in South Korea, we aim to compete in the mid-tier, and the following year, in the top ranks,” Van de Molengraft said.

提前退出是预料之中的；这个队主要是来积累经验的。“我们想看看自己的处境。在明年的韩国世界杯上，我们的目标是参加中游比赛，并在明年进入顶级行列，”范德莫伦格拉夫说。

According to him, the team’s past participation in the wheeled league is an advantage. “We have a lot of experience with teamwork, passing, positioning, and moving into open space. In recent years, other teams were mainly focused on just getting their robots to move and stay upright. Last year, all the robots would rush to the ball at the same time, almost like under-7 kids. Each robot had a person following it to catch it. That’s no longer the case.”

据他说，球队过去参加轮式联赛是一个优势。“我们在团队合作、传球、站位和进入空位方面有很多经验。近年来，其他团队主要关注的是让他们的机器人移动并保持直立。去年，所有的机器人会同时冲向球，就像7岁以下的孩子一样。每个机器人都有一个人跟着它抓住它。现在情况已经不同了。”

Joost Weerheim, part of the Tech United team, was impressed by China's progress. "I think right now if they are not already the world leader, they are very, very quickly becoming it."

科技联合团队的成员Joost Weerheim对中国的进步印象深刻。“我认为，现在如果他们还不是世界领导者，他们正在非常、非常迅速地成为世界领导者。”

To play football, humanoid robots need to be programmed to maintain their balance. “It is quite a large step to have legs instead of wheels. Robots on wheels cannot fall over. With two legs, that can always happen if your center of gravity isn’t above your feet. You have to constantly adjust your balance. As humans, we do that unconsciously.”

要踢足球，类人机器人需要通过编程来保持平衡。“用腿代替轮子是相当大的进步。有轮子的机器人不会摔倒。对于两条腿来说，如果你的重心不在你的脚上，这种情况总是会发生。你必须不断调整你的平衡。作为人类，我们会无意识地这么做。”

Robots, however, still have to calculate every movement. They must, for example, plan each shot and learn to respond to sensors during the kick. “They are less dynamic than humans.”

然而，机器人仍然需要计算每一个动作。例如，他们必须计划每一次射门，并学会在踢腿时对传感器做出反应。“它们的活力不如人类。”

作者：ANP和NL时报报道         来源：nltimes.nl