Artificial Intelligence Football Created At Dalhousie University

JAKARTA - When you combine the world's most popular sport with amazing computer science technology, the result is a new and innovative soccer game.

"Each football player on the screen plays this game," said Dalhousie University PhD student Mahtab Sarvmaili. "Think of them as individuals."

Sarvmaili and his team have created a computerized soccer game, using artificial intelligence.

"They (understand) the game, the area," said Sarvmaili. "They make decisions and they take action in the environment."

Each player is individually computer generated. They think and react on their own based on their environment and play and collaborate on the pitch during matches.

"They have a coach who directs them through the game," said Sarvmaili. "It also gives some advice on how to perform on the pitch."

The project recently finished first in the Robocup soccer simulation league and was unveiled at a time when soccer is at the forefront in Canada following the women's national team's gold medal win at the Olympics.

Sarvmaili said he combined his work in artificial intelligence with his passion for football.

"Goalkeepers are completely different. The program for goalkeepers is completely different from that of other players," said Sarvmaili.

Not only breakthroughs in the field of computer science. This game can also help soccer players in real life improve.

"This can help team coaches improve their performance in football matches," said research assistant Nader Zare.

Sarvmaili hopes to launch a partnership with Halifax Wanderers. "We are trying to design an app for them," said Sarvmaili.