Boston Dynamics brings its legged robots to the FIFA World Cup

Boston Dynamics Inc. is showcasing its advanced legged robots at the FIFA World Cup, with its humanoid Atlas robot learning to kick a soccer ball and its quadruped Spot supporting security operations at tournament venues. The demonstration is part of an expanded partnership between Hyundai Motor Co.—which acquired Boston Dynamics in 2021—and FIFA, building on Hyundai’s 27-year history with the event.

Alberto Rodriguez, director of robot behavior at Boston Dynamics, explained that the World Cup presented a unique opportunity to push the boundaries of robotic athleticism. "We’re always looking for artistic expression to drive the technology forward, from dancing to parkour," he told The Robot Report. "The World Cup was too good of an opportunity to pass on."

For the "School of Football" campaign, Boston Dynamics developed the "Ghost Rabona" kick, a complex trick shot inspired by professional soccer players. Rodriguez noted that while Atlas has performed jumps and flips before, interacting dynamically with a ball and the ground is a more intricate challenge. "Practicing the motions for quick footwork is more complex than a backflip," he said.

Reinforcement Learning Powers New Tricks

Teaching Atlas these soccer moves required a significant shift in methodology. About a year ago, Boston Dynamics moved from classical model-based predictive control to reinforcement learning (RL) for robotic control. Rodriguez explained that RL allows the robot to learn behaviors in simulation that would be extremely difficult to program manually. "We started from scratch with RL," he said. "Moving a fridge would have been difficult to do with classical model-based techniques."

Using motion capture from a skilled soccer player, the team fed data into a simulation engine, and training the policy took only a few hours to a day. The approach also improved the robot’s ability to handle real-world challenges like compliant grass fields, where feet can sink or slip. "The algorithm had to be robust enough to deal with unexpected compliance," Rodriguez added.

Spot Patrols Stadium Perimeters

While Atlas takes center stage for the soccer campaign, Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot is working behind the scenes at World Cup venues. Merry Frayne, senior director of product for Spot, described the quadruped as a "working dog" rather than a photo opportunity. "The robot is walking around two stadiums, looking for hazards and suspicious packages," she said.

Spot is deployed in Dallas and at Citi Field, primarily on the perimeter and during off-peak hours. It is equipped with a 360-degree camera, 4K high-definition and thermal imaging, and an enhanced autonomy package with lidar. Importantly, Frayne emphasized that Spot does not have facial-recognition capabilities.

Security teams operate the robots themselves after setup support from Boston Dynamics. "We haven’t had to modify Spot a lot for security as we move from industrial applications into the service area," Frayne noted. "For the public to start perceiving robots as a part of the world, doing useful work, we have to run the robot in a way that’s safe."

Expanding Applications and Public Acceptance

Beyond the World Cup, Boston Dynamics is exploring new markets for its robots. Spot is already used for industrial inspection, first responder support, and munitions detection. Frayne said partners have built custom payloads for applications like welding and circuit-breaker racking. "We’ll announce more major markets in the next few months," she added.

Both Rodriguez and Frayne stressed that while the World Cup demonstrations highlight progress, the technology is still far from matching human soccer players or operating autonomously alongside crowds. "The technology isn’t there today for safe interaction," Rodriguez cautioned. Nonetheless, the partnership with FIFA helps the public become more comfortable with robots and showcases their potential for real-world work.

The source for this article is https://www.therobotreport.com/boston-dynamics-brings-its-legged-robots-to-the-fifa-world-cup/.