Humanoid Robots Play Soccer Poorly in Chinese Exhibition Match

They looked like tipsy 7-year-olds stumbling about the soccer pitch. But the game that unfolded at an industrial zone in Beijing was a breakthrough for humanoid robots and the artificial intelligence that powered them through a 5-3 match on Saturday.

Clad in black and purple jerseys with individual player numbers, diminutive humanoids faced off for two 10-minute halves, their movements controlled not by gesticulating coaches on the sidelines but by built-in algorithms.

The spectacle was less about lightning-speed action — two players fell on top of each other — and more about demonstrating balance, agility and AI-powered decision-making. The bots ...