2014 RoboCup will pit robots against robots on the soccer field

If the FIFA World Cup isn't enough to satiate your soccer needs, the upcoming 2014 RoboCup just might be. The latest in what has become a long-running event will take place on July 19, pitting robot teams against each other on a soccer field entirely remote-free.

The robots are the by-product of a 4000 or so hivemind of engineers, all of whom hail from 45 countries around the world. While a human judge will keep watch over the robots, no other human intervention will take place, at least in terms of gameplay.

The robots will operate on their own, being forced to follow regular soccer rules and play independently over the course of six days. The event will be held in João Pessoa, Brazil, following the trend of taking place where the World Cup is happening.

This follows the first RoboCup that was held back in 1997 in Nagoya, Japan, and leads up to an anticipated match between humans and robots some time in the future — 2050 has been stated as a goal date. Other events using robots are also held, including Rescue League, where robots are used in rescue situations.

VIA: Business Insider