Mexico's home robot "Justina" to compete in RoboCup

Justina, a home robot designed by a team at Mexico's National Autonomous University (UNAM), is set to compete at the upcoming 2015 RoboCup in Hefei, capital of central China's Anhui Province, in July this year.

Designed to help with simple chores around the house, Justina was created by students specializing in a variety of majors, and is currently undergoing last-minute testing and adjustments at UNAM's Engineering Faculty.

The team says Justina is ready to show off her domestic skills in one of the event's four competitive divisions, which include RoboCupSoccer, RoboCupRescue, RoboCupJunior and RoboCup Home.

The competition will be tough, with entries from 46 countries having to undergo basic trials, including "going from one point to another and if there is an unexpected obstacle in the way, having the ability to sidestep it," project coordinator Dr. Jesus Savage Carmona told Xinhua.

Marco Antonio Negrete Villanueva, who is working on a doctorate in computing, designed Justina's navigation system.

"She'll do a good job," he said, even in the "types of complex settings you see in the RoboCup."

In addition to mobility, robots need artificial intelligence, said Savage, adding Justina "also has to be able to understand what she's instructed to do."

Measuring a meter and a half in height, with restless eyes and the golden insignia of the university football team Pumas, Justina can do more than simply navigate her way around home furniture: she can clean, make a bed, clear away the dishes and even pour a glass of milk.

She can also speak and follow spoken instructions or gestures, said Savage, who has been promoting the field of robotics in Mexico for more than 10 years.

This won't be the first time Justina has entered into competition, having debuted at a 2006 robotics contest in Bremen, Germany, and competed every year since: Atlanta, U.S. (2007), Suzhou, China (2008), Graz, Austria (2009), Singapore (2010), Istanbul, Turkey (2011), Mexico (2012), Eindhoven, Holland (2013), and Brazil and Toulouse, France (2014).

But Justina has been upgraded, with better vision and smoother actions, such as approaching a table or following someone, said Jesus Cruz Navarro, team leader and a master's candidate in computing.

In general, the three components that make her tick -- mechanical, electric/electronic and artificial intelligence -- have been gradually improved for this year's challenge.

First held in 1997, RoboCup organizers and participants hope to drive enough progress in the field by 2050 to assemble a team of robot football players to pit against the winners of the FIFA World Cup. Endite