FIRA RoboWorld Cup and Summit 2018

In 1996, the Federation of International Robot Soccer Association (FIRA) organized the first robot soccer and other sports competition. The main goal of FIRA is to promote cutting edge research into robotics, machine learning, computer vision, and artificial intelligence by using robot sports as benchmark problems. A second goal is to introduce students to state of the art technologies and methodologies in the areas mentioned above and to prepare them for their future careers.

Many interesting research has come out of the FIRA community including the first ice skating and skiing intelligent humanoid robots. But just as robot hardware and software has changed dramatically in recent years, robot competitions must evolve to continue to act as important benchmark problem.

FIRA provides a new start for FIRA with new challenges, new participants and new organization. The new FIRA organization is broken up into four divisions:

• FIRA Sports - autonomous robots competing in sport and similar events,
• FIRA Youth - a new division for junior and high school students,
• FIRA Challenge - more complex events such as search and rescue that can often only be        solved with tele-operation,
• FIRA Air - a new competition for autonomous drones.

2018 FIRA RoboWorld Cup hosted by Central Taiwan Science and Technology Bureau is organized from 6th to 11st of August 2018 to the sports center of Feng Chia University, Taichung, Taiwan. The general chair Prof. Kuo-Yang Tu sincerely invites all participants and respect coming to enjoy the exciting robot competition. We believe that the FIRA World Cup is a wonderful event to make new friends and learn from each other.