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China's Humanoid Robots Generate More Soccer Excitement than their Human Counterparts

Billboard illustrating humanoid robots at 2018 China International Robot Show in Shanghai. Reuters
Billboard illustrating humanoid robots at 2018 China International Robot Show in Shanghai. Reuters
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China's Humanoid Robots Generate More Soccer Excitement than their Human Counterparts

Billboard illustrating humanoid robots at 2018 China International Robot Show in Shanghai. Reuters
Billboard illustrating humanoid robots at 2018 China International Robot Show in Shanghai. Reuters

While China's men's soccer team hasn't generated much excitement in recent years, humanoid robot teams have won over fans in Beijing based more on the AI technology involved than any athletic prowess shown.

Four teams of humanoid robots faced off in fully autonomous 3-on-3 soccer matches powered entirely by artificial intelligence on Saturday night in China's capital in what was touted as a first in China and a preview for the upcoming World Humanoid Robot Games, set to take place in Beijing.

According to the organizers, a key aspect of the match was that all the participating robots operated fully autonomously using AI-driven strategies without any human intervention or supervision.

Equipped with advanced visual sensors, the robots were able to identify the ball and navigate the field with agility

They were also designed to stand up on their own after falling. However, during the match several still had to be carried off the field on stretchers by staff, adding to the realism of the experience.

China is stepping up efforts to develop AI-powered humanoid robots, using sports competitions like marathons, boxing, and football as a real-world proving ground.

Cheng Hao, founder and CEO of Booster Robotics, the company that supplied the robot players, said sports competitions offer the ideal testing ground for humanoid robots, helping to accelerate the development of both algorithms and integrated hardware-software systems.

He also emphasized safety as a core concern in the application of humanoid robots.

“In the future, we may arrange for robots to play football with humans. That means we must ensure the robots are completely safe,” Cheng said. “For example, a robot and a human could play a match where winning doesn’t matter, but real offensive and defensive interactions take place. That would help audiences build trust and understand that robots are safe.”

Booster Robotics provided the hardware for all four university teams, while each school’s research team developed and embedded their own algorithms for perception, decision-making, player formations, and passing strategies—including variables such as speed, force, and direction, according to Cheng.

In the final match, Tsinghua University’s THU Robotics defeated the China Agricultural University’s Mountain Sea team with a score of 5–3 to win the championship.

Wu, a supporter of Tsinghua, celebrated their victory while also praising the competition.

“They (THU) did really well,” he said. “But the Mountain Sea team (of Agricultural University) was also impressive. They brought a lot of surprises.”

China's men have made only one World Cup appearance and have already been knocked out of next years' competition in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

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Varieties

Gaza Surfers Find Rare Moments of Joy Taking to the Waves

Palestinians Tahseen Abu Assi, left, Khalil Abu Jayyab, center, and Abed Rahim Alostaz warn up before surfing on the beach in Gaza City, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinians Tahseen Abu Assi, left, Khalil Abu Jayyab, center, and Abed Rahim Alostaz warn up before surfing on the beach in Gaza City, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
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Gaza Surfers Find Rare Moments of Joy Taking to the Waves

Palestinians Tahseen Abu Assi, left, Khalil Abu Jayyab, center, and Abed Rahim Alostaz warn up before surfing on the beach in Gaza City, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinians Tahseen Abu Assi, left, Khalil Abu Jayyab, center, and Abed Rahim Alostaz warn up before surfing on the beach in Gaza City, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Despite the dire humanitarian crisis across the Gaza Strip, where a fragile ceasefire remains in place, a handful of Palestinian surfers are finding joy — and relief — riding the waves of the territory’s Mediterranean coastal waters.

Only three or four men still surf due to a shortage of surfboards and the materials needed to fix damaged ones, said Tahseen Abu Assi, a surfer in Gaza City.

Abu Assi carried his surfboard with him through every displacement he endured during the two-year war because, he said, he wouldn't be able to replace it.

“If something happened to it I won’t be able to get another one,” he said, noting that no boards have entered the Palestinian territory since 2007.

Surfboards are among sports equipment and other products that are banned by Israel.

On Tuesday, Abu Assi was among three surfers who took to the sea off the Gaza City port, including Khalil Abu Jiab, who road the high waves with his arms raised in joy.

After the war began, the Israeli military heavily restricted sea activity in Gaza, with the United Nations reporting that some fishermen were attacked onshore or at sea, including incidents involving fishermen using paddle boats.

Last year, Israel declared Gaza’s waters a “no-go zone,” banning fishing, swimming and sea access, making surfing risky.

Fishing and swimming are prohibited and dangerous in the waters off northern and southern Gaza. It's also risky to enter the waters off central Gaza, where Gaza City is located, due to Israeli patrols.

A Palestinian jumps into the waters of the Mediterranean Sea as he surfs on the beach in Gaza City, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

“There is fear of course, but we can’t leave this sport," The Associated Press quoted Abu Assi as saying. "During the war, in the middle of the war, in the middle of the bombing and the planes above us, we used to go down and practice this sport.”

Gaza’s waves rarely rise high enough for surfing, so when they do, surfers drop everything to get in the water, he added.

Intense fighting across the enclave eased after a shaky ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, but deadly Israeli strikes have continued, with both Hamas and Israel accusing each other of violating the truce.

Palestinians continue to struggle to secure food, clean water, medical care and shelter after the war caused widespread destruction, dismantled healthcare infrastructure and displaced most of the territory’s residents.

But for the territory's few surfers, there is relief, even if only fleeting, when they take to the waves.

“As soon as the sea gets high, you leave your work and leave your whole life,” Abu Assi said. "Work can be caught up on, as they say. We go practice this sport.”

Varieties

Prince William’s Family Names Baby Kangaroo ‘Cwtch’ at Australia Zoo

Robert Irwin with kangaroos with one holding joey Cwtch in its pouch (Australia Zoo)
Robert Irwin with kangaroos with one holding joey Cwtch in its pouch (Australia Zoo)
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Prince William’s Family Names Baby Kangaroo ‘Cwtch’ at Australia Zoo

Robert Irwin with kangaroos with one holding joey Cwtch in its pouch (Australia Zoo)
Robert Irwin with kangaroos with one holding joey Cwtch in its pouch (Australia Zoo)

The Prince and Princess of Wales and their children have named an eastern grey kangaroo ‘Cwtch,’ which is Welsh for cuddle, at Australia Zoo, according to BBC.

Conservationist Robert Irwin, the son of Steve Irwin, made the announcement from the zoo in Queensland in a joint Instagram post with the Wales family.

In a video message with kangaroos surrounding him, Irwin thanked the younger royals - Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis - for coming up with the name.

“[Cwtch] is the absolute perfect name for a joey kangaroo, 'cause at this age, they love a cuddle and they spend most of their time inside that pouch with their mum,” he said.

“Cwtch is now proudly part of our family here at Australia Zoo.”

Pronounced “kutch”, Irwin said he invited the Wales family to help name the baby kangaroo as part of efforts to put a global spotlight on conservation.

“Thank you for your support with our wildlife conservation efforts. It is so important that we conserve all of our animals, including the icons, the kangaroos,” he said in his video message.

“These guys play a very important role in the Australian bush, and out there in the ecosystem, they are just crucial,” Irwin said. “With all of the animals that we support and all of the wildlife conservation efforts that we have around the world, it's all about making sure we give back to the wildlife and the wild places where they live.”

Prince William has been an advocate for conservation, with his work as an ambassador for The Earthshot Prize - a global initiative he created to drive innovative solutions to the world's most pressing environmental challenges.

Irwin works with the prince through amplifying projects focused on protecting and restoring nature, which also aligns with his own global charity called Wildlife Warriors.

Eastern grey kangaroos are an Australian species that helps maintain healthy ecosystems for other animals, insects and plants.

However, the effects of habitat loss, climate change and human activity remains a threat.

Varieties

Is There Anybody Out There? Pentagon Releases Secret UFO Files

A football-shaped body reported by the US Indo-Pacific Command in 2024 is seen as part of a series of documents of unidentified aerial phenomenon (UAP) released by the US Defense Department on May 8, 2026. (Department of Defense/Handout via Reuters)
A football-shaped body reported by the US Indo-Pacific Command in 2024 is seen as part of a series of documents of unidentified aerial phenomenon (UAP) released by the US Defense Department on May 8, 2026. (Department of Defense/Handout via Reuters)
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Is There Anybody Out There? Pentagon Releases Secret UFO Files

A football-shaped body reported by the US Indo-Pacific Command in 2024 is seen as part of a series of documents of unidentified aerial phenomenon (UAP) released by the US Defense Department on May 8, 2026. (Department of Defense/Handout via Reuters)
A football-shaped body reported by the US Indo-Pacific Command in 2024 is seen as part of a series of documents of unidentified aerial phenomenon (UAP) released by the US Defense Department on May 8, 2026. (Department of Defense/Handout via Reuters)

The Pentagon on Friday released a first batch of secret files documenting reported sightings of unidentified flying objects -- some dating back to the 1940s -- fanning speculation over whether alien life exists.

Reports of flying saucers and discs, and a sighting of a "Lord of the Rings" glowing orange orb, are among incidents in the files, which are from the FBI, State Department and NASA in addition to the Pentagon.

Interest in UFOs has been renewed in recent years as the US government investigated numerous reports of seemingly supernatural aircraft, amid worries that adversaries could be testing highly advanced technologies.

"These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation -- and it's time the American people see it for themselves," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a statement.

President Donald Trump hailed the release, posting: "Whereas previous Administrations have failed to be transparent on this subject, with these new Documents and Videos, the people can decide for themselves, 'WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?'"

More than 160 files were released on the website of the Defense Department, which officially refers to UFOs as "Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena," or UAPs.

One file -- from December 1947 -- contains a series of reports on "flying discs."

"Continued and recent reports from qualified observers concerning this phenomenon still makes this matter one of concern to Headquarters, Air Material Command," a document in the file said.

An Air Force intelligence report -- marked "top secret" -- from November of the following year features information on reported sightings of "unidentified aircraft" and "flying saucers."

"For some time we have been concerned by the recurring reports on flying saucers," a document in that file said.

- 'Most compelling' -

Another file summarizes statements from seven federal government employees who separately reported "several unidentified anomalous phenomena" in the United States in 2023.

"The reporters' credibility, and the potentially anomalous nature of the events themselves -- combine to make this report among the most compelling within AARO's current holdings," a description of the file said, referring to the Pentagon's All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office.

In one incident, three teams of federal law enforcement special agents independently described "seeing orange 'orbs' in the sky emit/launch smaller red 'orbs.'"

In another, two federal special agents witnessed "a glowing orange orb... perched close to a rock pinnacle." That account included an artist rendering of a red-orange circle with a streak of yellow in its lower third.

The object was described as looking "similar to the Eye (of) Sauron from Lord of the Rings, except without the pupil."

Trump directed US federal agencies in February to begin identifying and releasing government files related to UFOs and aliens, saying the move was "based on the tremendous interest shown."

The Republican president also claimed the same day he issued the release order that one of his Democratic predecessors, Barack Obama, had revealed "classified" information in podcast remarks about extraterrestrial life.

"They're real, but I haven't seen them and they're not being kept in... Area 51," Obama told host Brian Tyler Cohen, referring to the top-secret US military facility in Nevada at the heart of many UFO conspiracy theories.

Trump told reporters at the time that Obama "gave classified information, he is not supposed to be doing that," while saying of his own beliefs: "I don't know if they are real or not."

No evidence has been produced of intelligent life beyond Earth.

In March 2024, the Pentagon released a report saying it had no proof that UAP were alien technology, with many suspicious sightings turning out to be merely weather balloons, spy planes, satellites and other normal activity.