Robot is now not only able to play soccer. At the 2026 RoboCup Incheon, South Korea, artificial intelligence-based machines also demonstrate cooking skills, distributing food, and doing homework.
Korea JoongAng Daily, quoted on Friday, July 3, reported that the five-day event opened at Songdo Convensia, Incheon, on Thursday. The RoboCup was attended by around 3,000 participants from 45 countries.
Since its inception in 1997, RoboCup has had a big target. Robots are expected to beat the FIFA World Cup champions in 2050.
Robot football remains the main magnet. Spectators crowded the field fence before the match started. As the match progressed, the robots kicked the official 2026 World Cup ball, Adidas Trionda, and collided several times.
Spectators cheered when the robot successfully played the ball. They also complained when the kick went astray.
"It's amazing, but also a little scary. I wonder if these robots can one day coexist with humans," a visitor surnamed Jeon told Korea JoongAng Daily.
The robot's ability is not yet completely smooth. Some move suddenly, even hitting the goalpost. Officers still have to intervene to fix their position.
The match is more like futsal because each team only deploys two to four robots. They have to attack and defend at the same time. To shoot, the robot needs to recognize the ball, set the position, then find the angle. After the goal, humans still have to return the ball to the middle of the field.
According to Korea JoongAng Daily, RoboCup is no longer just about football. In other areas, robots made by Swan Robotics greet visitors and distribute bread. The Aei Robot robot lifts a basket containing water bottles and moves them to a table.
Jeong Ji-yong, a graduate student at Kookmin University, said the Swan robot is currently trained for specific tasks. In the future, he hopes that such robots can make beds, clean rooms, and arrange food in refrigerators.
The robot from Mandarin Robotics also demonstrates cooking skills. The robot flips the pan like a chef when preparing a dish that requires a smoky aroma.
Park Sang-hoon of Mandarin Robotics said the robot now uses a non-stick pan that is suitable for Korean cuisine. If replaced with a typical Chinese wok, the robot can be used for Chinese, Thai, and Vietnamese cuisine.
This year marks the first time South Korea has hosted the RoboCup. RoboCup Federation President Ubbo Visser said the 29th event has brought together researchers, students, and industries from various countries for almost three decades.
Incheon is also using this event to strengthen its ambition to become South Korea's robot industry center, including through the Incheon Robot Land project, an area that will combine industrial facilities, amusement parks, and commercial areas.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
